Before Earth
by Mecca24
Summary: EXO Planet is dying. Chen is a weapon used by the military. He has never been shown kindness or love until he met eight soldiers. Suho and his team woke something up in him, giving him a new purpose.


**Author's Note: This is an origin story. I've used their stage name because it's a story based around their concept. Each member has powers and they are from EXO Planet. I haven't included Kris, Luhan or Tao in this story but I have a reason for that. I don't want to give away too much. Obviously, this story is written by me and hence revolves around Chen. I feel like I got a little lazy with this story so I apologise if it seems like I missed a chunk and just jumped forward. I'm not good at writing battle scenes and like to get straight to the hurt/comfort parts of the story. I hope you like it!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the boys.**

 **Warning: un-betaed.**

 **8 years ago…**

 **120,000 light years away…**

 **EXO Planet…**

Eight soldiers stared out at the three suns setting in the horizon. Tomorrow, they would be marching into the most important mission of their careers. They were a young team. The eldest only 19 earth years, the youngest; 15. Even on this planet, they were considered young. The soldiers have learned about Earth. They visited there once for a mission to scout the planet. It was one of their favourite planets, filled with life. It was a shame because they could see that the humans were doing to their world, what was already irreversible on this one. For the past 50 EXO years, Exolians were being transported to different planets, slowly but surely leaving their dying world behind. It was known over a century ago, that they have mined their planets resources to the point it could no longer sustain life. The planet had domes all over where people could live. Beyond these domes were dead, baron, lifeless terrain. Stepping out of the dome without protection meant certain death. Inside the domes were cities. Trees and mountains were only holograms of life in the past.

Suho stood once the suns disappeared and the lights of the city lit up the sky. "It's time to rest. Failure isn't an option tomorrow. The remaining lives on this planet are counting on us."

Baekhyun let a loud sigh, "Suho! Lighten up! We have never failed a mission. We're not going to start tomorrow." Baekhyun was the most optimistic of the group and with his counterpart, Chanyeol, they were pranksters. If these two looked at each other, everyone else had to watch their backs.

"Baekhyun's right, Suho! They gave us this mission for a reason. We're the best they've got." Chanyeol boasted.

"Every life is at stake tomorrow." Suho reminded them.

"They know that, Suho." Xiumin grinned at the two pranksters. "They'll get their minds into the mission." The two may be pranksters but they were also the manliest out of the group. As soon as a mission is executed, their minds were sharp. Baekhyun picked up the smallest details while Chanyeol's fire power annihilates their enemies. Xiumin turned to their youngest members; Kai and Sehun. "Worry about those two. Getting them to actually sleep is a mission in itself."

Sehun stuck his tongue out at him, "We don't need sleep, unlike you old men."

"The next time we go to Earth, we're visiting Korea. The Korean culture will teach you to respect your elders!" Suho admonished his little brother. Sehun and Kai just shrugged their shoulders at them.

"Alright, enough talk." Lay, their healer, announced. "Suho is right. It's time to sleep."

"I don't need…" The ground underneath Kai's feet shook until he dropped knee-deep into a hole. He groaned, "Why do you always do that, D.O?"

"Why do I always need to do that to you and Sehun? You don't see me doing it to the others." D.O countered. He turned to Sehun, daring him to protest about sleep.

"I'm going!" Sehun held his hands up in surrender before he helped Kai out of the hole and trudged back to their camp with the others laughing behind them.

* * *

Suho frowned when they entered their barrack. General Takyun was standing there with a young soldier next to him. "Sir!" They stood at attention, saluting the General who was the one who commissioned tomorrow's assignment.

"At ease." General Takyun ordered. The group stood with their legs shoulder width apart and their hands behind their backs. They were all looking curiously at the young man who stood at ease but looked straight past them. His eyes weren't focused on anything. Xiumin suddenly felt very sad. Something in the boy's eyes tugged at his heart.

"This is Chen. He'll be joining you tomorrow on the mission." The General told them.

Suho's eyes widened. His team has been training and fighting together for years now. Putting in a new member the night before a mission was dangerous. He could see the rest of his team felt the same way. "Sir, with all due respect, I can't trust this man. None of us know him." Xiumin kept his eyes on the boy, Chen. He didn't react at Suho's comment.

The General nodded, "I understand your concern but he can be of value on this mission. He's a Scorpion." The team wasn't impressed by that and Takyun wasn't expecting them to be. It was the only element the team was missing, aside from a Psy. Scorpion's had the power of lightning. They generated electricity and controlled it, much the same way the other elementals controlled their elements. And just like them, there was a mental capacity. It's why this team was the best in their ranks. They were the only ones trained to attack on the psychic plane. The team may not know the importance of a Scorpion but the General did, especially this Scorpion. "He'll follow your orders, Suho. He's been trained to follow orders blindly. You can tell him to walk into a boiling pit and he will do it." Suho frowned. He didn't want someone like that. He didn't need someone like that. "When the need comes, he's expendable."

The team gasped. An expendable soldier. They've never heard of that. "Sir, I'm not bringing him if he's purpose is to be killed." Suho objected, knowing it was a dis-chargeable offence to defy orders, but Suho had his morals.

Xiumin couldn't believe what he was hearing, furthermore, he couldn't believe it was all said in front of Chen and Chen did not react in the slightest. What the hell happened to this Scorpion to make him like this?

The General lifted his hands to stop anymore protests, "I'm not ordering you to send him to his death but this is a dangerous mission where failure is not an option. Chen could be the element to push the odds into our favour."

"But…"

"This is an order. Chen is going with you. I'm not expecting you to bond with him. In fact, he doesn't talk." Xiumin's temper rose at every word that came out of the General's mouth, "He's anti-social. He'll follow you into battle and take down the enemies. That's it. When you return from your mission, he'll be returned to me." Xiumin couldn't believe it. Chen was no more than weapon to him. "Do you understand?"

Suho could feel his teammates anger rising but he knew them well enough to know they would not show any disrespect to the General. "Yes, Sir!"

"Good!" General Takyun nodded, impressed with the team, "Rest well and good luck." He saluted them.

The team stood at attention until the General left, then the protests began. "He can't be serious!" Chanyeol gasped, "Is this really happening? I don't know who this guy is!" Chanyeol didn't even look at Chen.

"Chanyeol's right. How can we trust him?" Baekhyun protested. Lay sat on his bunker, shaking his head, as did D.O.

"Guys…" Xiumin was the only one focused on Chen who was still standing at attention.

"Why would we need a kamikaze soldier?" Sehun dropped into Kai's bed, sighing at the sudden change in their mission.

"Guys…" Xiumin called again.

"How does he expect us to sleep after throwing a spanner…Scorpion…into the mission?" Kai growled.

"We don't have a choice. Let me handle…" Suho was interrupted by a very angry Xiumin.

"GUYS!" Xiumin yelled, glaring at his teammates. "He doesn't talk. He can still hear!" The barrack was silent as they all turned to the soldier who was still at attention. He was as still as a statue. "Suho, order him to sit on his bed."

Suho frowned but nodded, "Sit down. Your bed is the last one on the left." They watched as Chen lowered his arm and walked to the bed, sitting down on the end of it.

"The General wasn't kidding when he said he'd follow your orders. You're going to need to order him to sleep." Baekhyun walked up to him and waved his hand in front of his face.

Xiumin shoved him out of the way, annoyed with everyone. "Just because the General treats him like an animal, doesn't mean we should. He's not expendable!" He knelt in front of the boy and smiled at him. "Hi Chen. My name's Xiumin." Chen didn't answer. His eyes still weren't focusing on anything. "If you need anything, you can ask me."

The team felt bad at the way they were behaving. Xiumin was right. Chen was a soldier, just like they were and they talked about him as if he wasn't a life to be valued. Suho walked up to Xiumin and knelt next to him. "I'm Suho, the leader of this team."

Xiumin smiled, "That's right. His name means Guardian. He'll take care of you and so will I. I'll watch your back." He gasped when Chen's eyes finally focused and looked straight at him. The forlorn gaze pierced through his heart. Then Chen's eyes glazed over again. "What happened to you?"

"What's wrong, Xiumin?" Baekhyun asked, worried at the eldest's tone of voice.

Xiumin shook his head, "I've never seen anyone look at me with absolutely no hope in his eyes." His hand wrapped around Chen's wrist, "I don't care. After this mission, we are not handing him back to the General. I'll go AWOL if I need to, but he's staying with me."

Chen felt and heard the determination in Xiumin's voice. In all his memories, no one has ever talked about him like that. He was only ever sent on missions to kill or be killed. No one ever cared if either happened but this man in front of him did.

"You can't defy orders." Suho told him.

"I can and I will!" Xiumin glared at Suho, daring him to fight him on this, "You heard the General. Chen's no more than a weapon to him. He's not laying a hand on Chen again." Xiumin didn't know why he felt such a strong need to protect this man and he couldn't stop it even if he wanted to.

"Xiumin's right." D.O stepped up next to Chen's bed, "He's not disposable. We can't give him back."

Baekhyun knelt next to Chen, looking at him and finally seeing what Xiumin was seeing, a man needing their protection not their protests. "He's stays with us." Soon the entire team surrounded Chen.

Chen didn't understand what was happening. Who were these men and why did they care about him? No one ever cared what happened to him. They used him to get what they needed and then threw him back into his cell. That was all he ever knew. These men were soldiers just like the others. Why were they so different? How was he supposed to respond to these men? Why were they protecting him? For the first time in his life, he felt motivation. Every other time, he fought for his own life. He carried out missions like a robot, following orders and fighting to kill. This time, he wanted to make sure these men stayed alive. His mission wasn't to ensure the mission was a success. It was to make sure these men came back alive. He was given a reason to fight the General's orders.

"Chen?" Xiumin saw the change in Chen's eyes. The hopeless in his eyes reduced, if only just a little. Chen turned to him and Xiumin smiled. "Whatever happened to you, will never happen again. I won't let anyone hurt you." _I won't let anyone hurt you,_ Chen silently promised this man who was the first person to ever give a damn about him.

"Okay. We all need to rest." Suho put a gentle hand on Chen's shoulder, "Go to sleep." Immediately, like a robot, Chen pushed himself back, laid down and closed his eyes. He didn't even take his shoes or belt off.

Baekhyun sighed and undid his belt while Xiumin and Suho took off his shoes. Chen didn't even react. He pulled the blanket up to Chen's shoulders. "This is wrong." He said as he looked down at the man. Chen looked even younger, asleep. "He looks so innocent right now. Are we really going to take him into battle?"

"He's trained. He's definitely older than Sehun and Kai. The General wouldn't be sending him with us if he wasn't good at what he does." Suho reasoned. "Go to sleep everyone." They all laid in their beds but nobody slept. Xiumin laid on his side, watching Chen.

Chen wasn't asleep. He was thinking about his childhood. He didn't have one. He couldn't remember anything before the age of seven. His childhood consisted of experiments, martial arts, dodging lasers and torture. He was trained to be a weapon. He could feel pain but they trained him to accept it. They shot lasers at him until he learned to dodge them. He was dangerous because he was trained to be. He was trained to attack and only one form of defense. A mental defense. While all other elementals were susceptible to psychic attacks, he was not. His lightning ability allowed him to create a static field within his mind, disrupting mental attacks. This was the only self-defence he was taught because it made him even more dangerous. It was fine with him because he was never given a reason to defend, only fight. Tonight, he was given at least one reason to defend; Xiumin.

* * *

The team got themselves prepared for their mission with practiced precision. They knew what they needed and focused only on that. They were of one mind this morning. Just as they always were before a mission. Xiumin watched as Chen moved with them. He was trained the same way but he moved with the expression of a robot. Xiumin walked next to Chen towards their ship. "Remember what I told you yesterday. You're not expendable. You're coming back alive." Chen didn't answer him.

Suho walked up to Chen's other side, "Come back alive. General Takyun said you will follow my orders, so that's my order. Come back alive."

Xiumin smiled proudly as the others surrounded them. "We'll all come back alive."

"WE ARE…"

"ONE!" They howled their war cry.

* * *

The ship was in stealth mode as it approached their drop-off point. An Anti-military rebel organisation had been drilling into the planet's core. They didn't agree with leaving the planet and believed it could still survive by harvesting the planet's core. Scientists have proven that harnessing that energy will only kill the planet faster. If the Rebels were successful in reaching the core, the planet will not have another decade to evacuate the planet and the people left will die. This is why this mission was so important. Millions of live were at stake. Their mission was to destroy the machine and get back home. They were a covert team which was why they were given the mission. They could get in and get out without being noticed. Suho hoped Chen was trained in the same way.

* * *

The ship arrived at the destination. Lay, their pilot, stopped the ship, putting it into hover. The ship would remain in the clouds until they returned. "Activate your shield." The shield was invisible and protected them from the deadly atmosphere beyond the domes. "Kai." Suho nodded to the teleporter. Kai disappeared for a minute before returning.

"It's clear." Kai reported.

"Activate stealth mode." Suho ordered. "Sehun, take us down." The team didn't even react when the floor beneath them disappeared. Sehun caught them with his power of wind. They soundlessly floated to the desert floor. From then on, there was not a word spoken. Words were never needed with this team. Strangely enough, Suho didn't feel the need to give Chen orders. It was as if the boy was a part of the original team.

Chen followed the team. It wasn't hard to work out how the team worked. There were defensive members and offensive members. Chen stayed with the elementals because that was how he was trained; to attack. He stayed close to Xiumin because he wanted to ensure his safety. Xiumin wanted him alive. He wanted Xiumin to stay alive. Chen focused on that.

* * *

The mission was going smoothly but something felt wrong. The facility wasn't big. Definitely not big enough to house a giant drill. D.O frowned and felt the ground, sending a small tremor into it. "Underground." He mouthed to his leader. Suho nodded. He signaled for the team to look for a way down. They paired up; Chanyeol and Baekhyun, D.O and Kai, Lay and Xiumin and Suho and Sehun. Defensive members were paired with an elemental. Xiumin automatically grabbed Chen and pulled him along with him and Lay.

Chen looked down at the hand on his wrist and up at the back of the man pulling him. _Why do you care so much?_ Chen pulled his hand back. Xiumin looked back, worried Chen had stopped, then smiled when the boy looked at him with his innocent eyes. _Stay close,_ Xiumin mouthed before turning back. Chen worried. He could feel something in his mind. There was a Psy in the facility. He didn't know if this team had the ability to protect themselves again a psychic attack. He could protect himself but he couldn't protect Xiumin against an attack.

"North wing." Chanyeol whispered over their earpiece. Without a word, the team converged onto the North wing.

* * *

Suho stood in front of the elevator that was concealed behind a holographic wall. Chanyeol was rewiring the security panel, bypassing security. Chen walked around the room. The feeling he had earlier was growing. They were heading towards the Psy.

The elevator opened. Suho shook his head at the smug look on Chanyeol's expression. He shoved the Pyro into the lift. Chen looked around at the team. They were smiling. How could they be smiling during a mission? Didn't they know how much danger they were in?

Xiumin tapped Chen's shoulder. He smiled at him. "We're a family." He told Chen, knowing what the Scorpion was thinking. Chen frowned, confused. Family? He didn't know how that felt. Xiumin's heart dropped at the confusion on Chen's expression. Did he even know what a family was? As soon as they returned to base, Xiumin was going to show him what family was.

The lift door opened. They stepped out one by one, scouting the area when Chen felt it. The Psy was about to attack. His eyes widened. Without even thinking he grabbed Xiumin, wanting to warn him but it was too late, the Psy attacked. Something happened in Chen, the static shield in his mind shot out. He couldn't control it. He watched in horror as the team dropped from the static shock. His eyes fell on Suho, seeing the anger in his eyes before he passed out. Chen's energy dissipated. Sweat ran down his temple and neck.

"Impressive." Chen spun at the voice. A man in his mid-40s was standing in at the end of the corridor with soldiers behind him. Chen stumbled back. He felt weak. _What's happening?_ The room started spinning. "You can't keep it up for much longer." Chen blinked as the man blurred. "These men must mean a lot to you if you're willing to risk your life for them." Chen's vision darkened, losing his hold on consciousness. "Take them to the cell."

* * *

Xiumin slowly came to. He looked around and saw the others stirring as well. They groaned as they sat up, clearly having the same headache Xiumin had.

Baekhyun put his hand against the clear glass holding them in. "Where are we?"

Suho stepped up to the glass and looked around. Security cameras pointed at them. On the other side was a single chair. "D.O, do you think you can shatter the glass?"

D.O put his hand on it, sending vibrations through it but it held strong. "What is this place?"

Xiumin did a quick check of the team. They were awake except… "Chen?" He dropped beside the man who was on the one bed in the cell. "Chen!" He called, tapping the Scorpion's face. "Why is he so cold?" Xiumin pressed his fingers against his forehead, "What's happening?"

Suho glared at Chen, "Probably a trick. Be careful." He remembered what happened, "He's the reason we're here."

"What?" Xiumin turned to him, "What are you talking about?"

"Couldn't you tell?" Baekhyun asked him, "The blast that knocked us out came from him." He was behind Chen when he felt it. There was no mistaking the origin of the blast.

Xiumin looked at the unconscious man. He didn't believe it. Chen was trained to complete a mission. There was no reason for him to take them out. "Why would he do that?"

Chanyeol shrugged, "Maybe he doesn't want to go back. The General doesn't treat him well, why not take us out and try his chances out here?"

Xiumin shook his head, "He doesn't even know what family means, he doesn't have the ability to think that way."

Suho was about to ask him what he meant when the door on the outside opened. A tall man in an army uniform walked in. He had an aura about him; someone who commanded the room. He looked like someone Suho would follow, which made him feel uncomfortable. Suho and his team were loyal to the military, he didn't like this feeling. "I usually don't need to ask my prisoners why they're here because I can read minds." The man said simply. "My name's Tyrant. Have you heard of me?"

Suho gasped, "You were a hero who died trying to stop the rebels. You were a Colonel. One of us and the most powerful Psy the military has ever had." He looked around at his men who were as shocked as he was. They've all heard of him and looked up to him. "How are you alive? We all saw the video of your execution by the Rebels."

"It was staged so that the military didn't come after me. I thought it worked until you dropped in on us." Tyrant smiled at the betrayal on their faces. "I remember that feeling when I found out the truth of what was happening to the people leaving the planet."

"What are you talking about?"

"No rush. I will show you. It's more effective." Tyrant leaned his head to the side, looking past Suho to the man on the bed. "Shouldn't you be asking me why I can't read your minds? Not that I need to. I know who sent you."

Suho turned to where the Colonel was looking. "Why?" He asked while looking at the pale man on the bed. He had a sinking feeling he was wrong about Chen.

"I don't know how the military trained such a powerful Scorpion but he's the reason. Somehow, even unconscious, he's holding up a shield to disrupt my psychic abilities." Xiumin frowned at the sweat beading across Chen's brow. "You must mean a lot to him."

The team turned to Chen. How could they mean anything to him? He barely knew them. "But he was the one who knocked us out. I felt it." Baekhyun insisted.

"He didn't mean to do that. He reacted to my psychic attack. I don't think he's ever tried to shield an entire team from an attack before. He sent out a shock with the static." Tyrant explained.

Xiumin wiped at Chen's brow, "Let go, Chen. You don't need to protect us." He picked up Chen's hand. It was freezing. "Let go, Chen!" Xiumin felt for a pulse. It was faint. "Something's wrong." He put a hand against his chest. "He's barely breathing."

"He's been unconsciously holding up that shield for over…" Tyrant looked at his watch, "six hours now."

Lay's eyes widened. He pulled Xiumin off the bed and held his hands over Chen, sending his energy into the Scorpion. "Is it working?" Xiumin asked.

"Your healing powers won't work and you know it." Tyrant droned as if he were bored.

Baekhyun punched the glass, "Why the hell are you here? To watch him die?!"

Lay kept trying despite knowing he couldn't heal Chen. He couldn't heal what he couldn't see or know about. At least he could keep air going through Chen's lungs. "You're not dying. No one on our team has died on a mission. You're not going to be the first." He didn't understand what was going on but this man was giving his life to protect them. He was a healer. It was his job to keep his team alive. Every single member.

"Why won't he let down the shield?" Suho whispered to the unconscious man.

"Aren't you a team? Shouldn't you know?" Tyrant was amused.

"Shut the hell up!" D.O slammed his fist against the glass. It shook but didn't break. "You can help him. You're a Psy!"

"Why should I help the people who came to kill me?" Tyrant asked.

"We came here to stop you from destroying this world before we can evacuate it!" Chanyeol growled.

Tyrant smiled, "What story did Takyun feed you this time?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kai spoke for the first time, standing with the youngest who was shaking. They've never been captured before and they've never seen someone as pale as Chen.

"Is he going to die?" Sehun asked of Chen, shakily.

"That depends on all of you." Tyrant told them. "He's not aware of what he's doing. You need to convince him to let go. Convince him you're safe."

"Let us go and he'll know we're safe!" Baekhyun hissed at him.

Tyrant laughed, "Good try. From what I've heard, he barely knows any of you but somehow, you've triggered his protective nature." He wanted this man to survive too, but he couldn't help him. Only the soldiers in the cell could help him. He needed to push them. "Don't confuse that with trust. You want him to let go, you need him to trust you. You need him to listen to you."

Suho walked up to Chen, "Let go, Chen. That's an order. The General said you would follow my every order. That's my order. Let down the shield!"

Tyrant shook his head, "General Takyun is a cold-hearted bastard! I've seen his training methods. It's barbaric. If you want him to trust you, leave Takyun and his orders out."

Suho glared at Tyrant. As a soldier, he didn't tolerate any disrespect towards his commander but as a man, he knew Tyrant was right. He closed his eyes and took a breath. The first real reaction they've ever gotten from Chen came from Xiumin. "Xiumin, talk to him." Xiumin turned to him. Suho nodded, "You're the first person to treat him with kindness. If he's going to trust someone, it's you."

Xiumin took a deep breath and he looked at Chen. Chen need him to do this. He stepped over to the bed and knelt near his head. "Chen," He placed his hand against the cool brow, "I told you that this team's a family. We've trained and fought together for years but it wasn't easy. We didn't trust each other straight away because trust is earned. I know there is no reason for you to trust me but I don't have time to earn your trust." Tears ran down his face, "Hell, I don't even know if you know what trust means. I don't know if you heard us but we promised we wouldn't hand you back to the General. You're one of us now. You're a part of our family and that means, we'll protect you with our lives, just like you're trying to protect us right now." Xiumin picked up Chen's hand and held it to his cheek, "You don't need to protect us anymore. We're safe. You can let go, Chen."

* * *

Chen felt like he was floating. He could hear voices around him. He couldn't hear what they were saying. The static field around him tingled. He could feel it weakening. He concentrated harder, strengthening it. He had to keep it up otherwise Xiumin and his team would be exposed to the Psy. He was concentrating on the field when he felt a hand against his head. "Chen…" He recognised the voice. It was Xiumin. _Why was his voice so clear?_ "You're a part of our family and that means we'll protect you with our lives, just like you're trying to protect us right now. You don't need to hold up the shield anymore. We're safe. You can let go, Chen." _I'm a part of their family? What did that mean?_ He felt something else. There was alien energy running through him, helping him breathe. One of the team members was a healer. Was he helping him? _Can I really let go?_ "Please, Chen, let go and open your eyes. I'll be here when you do." Chen was tired. Maybe he can trust the voice and let go.

* * *

Lay smiled when he felt Chen taking deeper breaths on his own. His pulse was stronger. "I think you did it." He huffed wiping at his forehead with the back of his hand. It was taking a lot of energy to keep Chen breathing.

D.O helped Lay up, letting Xiumin take his seat so that he could keep his promise to Chen and be there when he woke up. "Are you okay?" He asked Lay. Lay smiled, nodding.

The team held their breaths as they waited for Chen to open his eyes. Xiumin smiled when his eyes fluttered open. "Chen." He called quietly. Chen looked at the man above him. _Xiumin._ "Welcome back. How are you feeling?" Chen grimaced as he tried to sit up but he didn't have his strength back. "Let me help you." Xiumin moved to lift Chen up by the shoulders, leaning him back against his chest.

Suho stepped into Chen's line of sight, "Thank you for protecting us." Chen blinked at him then flinched when he remembered the anger he saw in Suho's eyes before he passed out.

"What's wrong, Chen?" Xiumin ran his hand up and down Chen's arm. "Suho won't hurt you. Remember what his name means? Guardian. Let him protect you." He smiled when Chen relaxed again.

Suho smiled at how easily Xiumin was able to gain Chen's trust. "I will protect you. I promise." He turned back to Tyrant who was standing now. The man was smiling. "Why are you helping Chen?"

Tyrant's smile faded. "Because I met him when he was 7 years old." Chen sat up at that. He struggled to get out of the bed.

"Chen, calm down." Xiumin helped him up with D.O's help. They pulled his arms across their shoulders and walked the weak man to the glass. Chen pulled his arm from D.O and flattened his hand against the glass, pleading with the man on the other side.

"Do you remember me?" Tyrant asked him. Chen shook his head. "We met once when I tried to take you away from Takyun but I set off the alarms and I knew I couldn't get away with you. I'm sorry I left you there." It wasn't the only time Tyrant had seen Chen but he couldn't…wouldn't tell him about the first time. Chen frowned, trying to remember the face. He remembered a man who came to him in the middle of the night once but he was little and exhausted. He remembered waiting for the man to return for the next few days. It was his one and only memory of someone treating him kindly in his childhood. Tears ran down his cheeks as he remembered the warmth of the man's arms around him. Tyrant walked up to the glass, "What did he do to you?" Chen shook at the question. He was a child again, waiting for someone to save him.

Xiumin felt Chen shaking. He turned the young man, looking him in the eyes. He gasped at the fear of a little boy. Xiumin pulled him into his arms, "It's okay. Whatever he did to you, it'll never happen again. I'll protect you. You're safe with us." He felt like a fraud saying these words while they were in a prison but he knew Chen believed him because he started sobbing. He knew he never had someone in his life to cry to. No one in his life let him cry until now. Xiumin cupped the back of his head. The silent crying was unnerving.

"Why doesn't he talk?" Baekhyun asked Tyrant.

"His parents were killed in front of him." Tyrant told them only what he could. If he told them the truth, Suho and his team would never trust him.

There wasn't a dry eye in the cell. Chanyeol glared at the Rebel leader. "Was it your people? Did they do this to him?"

Tyrant clenched his jaw, "Takyun did this to him." He deliberately answered only the second question. "He saw Chen's potential. He wanted a weapon that could fight psychic attacks. It was rare for a Scorpion to have that ability. You should know that. All of you have psychic abilities, am I right?"

"How did you know that?" Suho asked. This man knew a lot.

"It's the only reason why Takyun would send you here with Chen. He would only send people who had a chance against my ability." He looked at Chen. "Do you remember your parents?"

Xiumin smiled at Chen, kindly, when he pulled back. He was still scared but bravely got his emotions under control again. "Do you remember your parents?" Xiumin repeated Tyrant's question. Chen shook his head.

"I can help you remember them." Tyrant told him.

Chen turned to the ex-soldier about to nod when Suho pulled him back from the glass, standing in front of him, "Why should he trust you?" Xiumin wrapped his arm around Chen's shoulder when he saw Chen sway from being pulled back suddenly. "Why should he open his mind to you?"

Tyrant shrugged at the leader, "If I wanted to get into his mind, I could do it right now." He looked at Xiumin, "You convinced him to let go of the shield. He did. Even the one around his own mind."

Chen was shocked at how fast the team moved. In a blink of an eye, the team stood in front of him, shielding him for the man. Is this what a family does? He never had so many people taking care of him before. It felt good. "We're not letting you touch him." Baekhyun hissed at the man.

"Then let me give you a reason for why you can trust me." Tyrant pulled out a remote control and pressed a button. The glass retracted. The team looked around, wearily. Was this a trick? "Follow me. It's time you found out the truth."

The team looked to Suho. Suho glared at the man's retreating back. He needed to make a decision. Should he follow the ex-soldier. He felt someone tug on his shirt. Turning around, he was surprised to find it was Chen. Chen looked at him with the most innocent eyes. "Do you want to follow him?" Suho was trusting the 7-year-old boy who met this man once. Sometimes a child's eyes were clearer than an adult's. Chen nodded. "Okay." Suho turned to the others who agreed. "Let's go."

* * *

Suho stared out into underground bunker. It was a colossal underground refuge. They stood on the landing above the thousands of people. "Who are they?" But even as he asked the question, Suho knew who they were. The military weren't sending people off the planet. They were executing them; sending them outside of the domes to die.

"We try to save as many as we can but it's hard to get that many people here. Many die on the way. These are the survivors." They felt sick. They've helped load ships and sent them off. All this time, they thought they were saving lives.

"They're trying to reduce the population so the elite can live longer." Baekhyun gripped the rails until his knuckles went white. "I sent people onto those ships!" Baekhyun ran back into the tunnel that lead them here, unable to face what they've done. One by one, they turned away, tears running down their faces. All this time they've been helping the wrong side.

* * *

Tyrant lead them to his men's break room. They were out so the room was empty. "Sit down and rest." He pointed to a couch in the corner of the room. "Settle Chen down on that couch." Xiumin could feel Chen getting heavier. He was barely holding on to consciousness now. "I'll get him some water."

Xiumin and Lay laid Chen down on the couch. He was sweating from the effort of walking. Xiumin felt his forehead, "Great. Now he has a fever."

Lay sighed, "He used too much of his energy. It's made his body susceptible to sickness. He needs to rest."

"How can he? We're prisoners here and there's no way we can go home now that we know the truth." Xiumin brushed the flushed cheeks with the back of his fingers. "I promised to take care of you but I don't know how to." Chen blinked at him owlishly, then took his hand and held the cool hand to his cheek, sighing contently.

Lay smiled, "I think he's trying to tell you that you're doing a good job." Xiumin chuckled and nodded.

Tyrant returned with another person. The team automatically stood at defense. Chen opened his eyes at the change in atmosphere. He looked up at Xiumin, who looked tense. Tyrant saw the worried look on Chen's expression. The boy wasn't worried about what the others were doing. He was worried about Xiumin. Tyrant looked at Xiumin and nodded down at Chen. Xiumin narrowed his eyes suspiciously but did look down. He sighed at how worried Chen was. "It's okay." He knelt and combed his fingers through Chen's hair. "Are you thirsty?" Chen nodded. He looked over at Tyrant. "He's thirsty." Tyrant gestured to the others who were still on the defensive. Suho turned around and nodded to others. They relaxed as much as they could, sitting in strategic places around the room to ensure they were covering each other's backs. It was second nature. Tyrant handed Xiumin the glass while the other man put down a plate of bread rolls. "It's all we have. You should eat." He nodded to his man to leave.

Xiumin supported Chen's head while he drank, "Slowly." He cautioned.

Suho squeezed the bridge of his nose. He could feel his team deflated. Everything they've fought for was a lie. They've been lied to for years. What could he say to his men to give them hope again? Their world was dying. Their people were dying. "Is this happening all over the planet?" Suho asked Tyrant. The man nodded. "We were told you were trying to drill into the core of the planet."

Tyrant laughed, "That's pretty good. We do have a drill but we're using it to dig more trenches like the one you saw. We're running out of room."

"Who built this place?" Chanyeol was trying to take his mind off the betrayal.

"The first ship of men and women who were shuttled to their death. They knew the only way to survive was to go underground. They found a cave that lead to tunnels. The leader waited for the next ship of passengers and hijacked it. He was an engineer. He took the ship apart and built the first drill to make homes underground. It took decades but eventually they started taking the fight to the military. I was captured and shown all of this. I felt the same way you did when I saw the women and children. You've been working for Takyun. You didn't know but I lead the fleet of ships that were sending these people to their deaths. How do you think I felt? I went back, feigning that I escaped because I wanted to get as many of my men out of there as possible. That's when I saw Chen, sitting in a glass room by himself." Tears came to his eyes as he remembered abandoning the child. "A night has never gone by where I don't dream about that little boy's face as I put him back on his bed and ran out." He took in a shaky breath as he watched Chen sleep on the couch, "Somehow, I've been given the chance to save him again but how many years can he live. Two? Three? Ten? This world will die. He's been living a nightmare for years only to be given a few years of freedom."

"At least he has that." Lay told him. "At least he has the chance to feel what it's like to have a family now."

Tyrant leaned his elbows on the table. "We're saving women and children just to give them another decade to live. Why am I doing this?" Suddenly the man looked ten years older.

"Because it's the right thing to do." Suho told him. They knew the truth now. He and his team had a new mission. "We're going to expose Takyun and the other military leaders around the world. If the people of this world are going to die, they're going to die knowing the truth. We can all accept our fates and live out the rest of the days with our families." Suho smiled at his team, who smiled back. They were all orphans. They grew up in the military. Their family was right here in the room.

Tyrant nodded, impressed. It was a hard blow showing them the truth but they're turning it around already. In all the years of taking out Takyun's men, this was the first team he admired. How did a man like that train a team like this? "All of you should sleep. If you want to take on Takyun, you need your strength. Eat up and sleep. There are sleeping bags in the lockers. I'll see you all in the morning." He got up and left the room.

* * *

They set up the sleeping bags around the room but knew they weren't going to get much sleep. Someone would be awake to watch everyone's backs. Suho sat with his back against the wall while Sehun used his lap as a pillow. He hated that Sehun had to find out the truth of what they did. He and Kai were too young to find out they've been working for the wrong people. He hated that he had led them all through the lie. He had to make this right.

Chen tossed in his fevered sleep. He was dreaming. He was seven years old again under his bed. His mother was screaming his father's name then there were frantic footsteps running into the room he was in. He could see his mother's bare feet. He shook as he covered his hand over his mouth. BANG! The gunshot sent a violent jolt through his body as if he was shot himself, then his mother dropped, her lifeless eyes staring at him. Suddenly he was yanked by the ankles.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Chen shot up off the couch screaming. The team was shocked awake, except for Xiumin who has been trying to wake him from him nightmare.

"CHEN!"

Chen's eyes flew open but he wasn't seeing the team. He saw the people who killed his mother. "NOOOOO!"

Suho watched in horror as Xiumin flew across the room from Chen's shock. "Chen, stop!"

Tears ran down his face as he looked down at his mother's dead boy. A soldier tried to grab him. Chen grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder. Baekhyun groaned as he landed on his back on the hard floor. "Crap, he's good!" He groaned as Chanyeol helped him up. The team could easily take Chen down but they were trying their hardest not to hurt the traumatised man. He threw Kai to the ground and was about to throw a chair on him when Kai teleport away just in time. He reappeared near Xiumin who was waking up after Lay healed him. "Xiumin. Do something."

"He's in a nightmare. We need to wake him up." Lay told them.

* * *

Tyrant heard the scream from his room and ran down the corridor with two of his men, shocked at the mess of the room. It was impressive seeing Chen take on the entire team. Takyun put a lot of resources into this man. He saw the electricity build in Chen's hands. He also saw Suho building his power. He couldn't let the two powers collide. It could kill them.

The team groaned, looking up from where they were. They knew they were in trouble when they saw Chen's hands. A ball of electricity was growing. "Chen!" Xiumin called, "Don't!" But he knew it was too late. Chen was too deep in his nightmare for any voice to break through. He looked at Suho. "Suho! You can't!" Xiumin knew if the water hit Chen, the electricity could kill Chen instead.

Suho knew what he was doing, but he couldn't let Chen send his blast out and kill everyone. "Chen! Stand down!" Suho tried one last time to get through to Chen.

Just as Chen and Suho were about to let their powers loose, Chen dropped to the floor unconscious. "CHEN!" Xiumin rushed to his teammate. "Chen." He shook his shoulders, "What happened?"

"He'll be okay. I sent a psychic shock through his mind." Xiumin glared up at the man. "Did you want me to let him and Suho unleash their powers in this room?" Tyrant turned to Suho, "You need to be careful. Yours and Chen's powers are opposites. They're powerful together but not in a room this small."

Suho nodded, "I understand." He scanned the room, "Everyone okay?"

"Bruised but no broken bones." Kai arched his back, "He's really good."

"Nothing I can't heal." Lay told their leader, already healing Sehun's concussion.

"Thanks." Sehun sighed at the dissipating headache.

Tyrant turned to his men. "Take him back to the cell."

Xiumin spun at that, "No way!" He put his arm over Chen, protecting him, "You can't. He didn't mean to hurt us."

"It's for his own good as well." Tyrant reasoned. He didn't want to either but he couldn't risk Chen having another nightmare and taking down the entire facility. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Chen again.

"How is locking…"

"Xiumin." Suho put a hand on the eldest's shoulders. "The Colonel's right. Chen is very dangerous."

"He didn't mean it." Xiumin growled at him. "We can't leave him in that cell alone."

"It's just until he wakes up and we can see he's in his right mind again." Suho promised. "We won't leave him in there."

"The cell will control his powers. He can't hurt himself or us in there." Lay placed a gentle hand on Xiumin. "You can still watch over him."

Xiumin sighed. He knew he couldn't go against the entire team. Reluctantly, he nodded.

* * *

Chen slowly regained consciousness. He blinked up at the ceiling. Where was he? He lifted his head to look around when the room started spinning. Why was he so dizzy? Chen got up and walked towards the glass. He thought he was alone when he saw someone on the other side.

Xiumin sat up when he saw Chen waking up but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to scare the Scorpion. He smiled when Chen walked up to the glass. "Chen!" He stepped up to meet him before he realised something was wrong.

Chen took a step back from Xiumin as he walked up to the glass. He was in here. Xiumin was out there. Something snapped in Chen's mind, suddenly remembering how he should be acting. _Obey anyone on the other side of the glass._

"Chen?" Xiumin put a hand on the glass, "Chen, what's wrong?"

Chen got down on his knees in the middle of the cell and bowed his head. If he didn't do everything the person on the other side said, he would be punished. He shook as he kneeled there, begging the person behind the glass to not hurt him.

Xiumin watched in horror as Chen stayed in a subservient position. "No."

* * *

Xiumin bolted out of the room to the break room. "Where's the remote?!" He growled, pulling Tyrant out of his seat by the shirt, "Where's the remote!?"

Baekhyun and Chanyeol tried to pry their brother off the colonel, "Xiumin, what's wrong?"

"Give me the remote! Chen's awake!"

"Xiumin calm down!" Suho admonished him, "I know you care about Chen but you can't…"

"He's kneeling in the middle of the cell like a servant!" Xiumin yelled at Tyrant. "I told you it wasn't a good idea! He spent his entire life in a cell!" Baekhyun and Chanyeol finally managed to pull Xiumin off the colonel but was shoved away as soon as they did. "He woke up and found me on the other side of the glass!" Xiumin cried at them, "Chen wasn't raised like us, how do you think that looked? It told him that he was the slave and I'm his master!" The team was silent. They didn't think this would happen. They only wanted to keep everyone safe.

"Xiumin, we didn't know." Suho tried to reason with his friend.

Xiumin spun on him, "We didn't know but he did!" He stabbed his finger at Tyrant and stepped up to him, huffing angrily, "You said you found him in a glass room! You should've known!"

"I'm sorry." Tyrant looked devastated. He did it to Chen again; went to save him only to throw him back into the cage. He pulled out the remote. Xiumin snatched it from his fingers and bolted back. The team stayed on his heels.

* * *

"Chen!" Xiumin pressed the button and waited impatiently as the glass slowly retracted. "Chen!" He squeezed through as soon as the gap was big enough. "Chen, look at me." He put a hand on the boy's back making him jolt as if Xiumin's touch was a tazer. "I'm not going to hurt you." Chen kept shaking but he didn't dare to move.

"Why is he so scared?" Baekhyun asked.

Tyrant focused on Chen's mind and found himself looking at a seven-year-old boy. He sighed, "Ah…crap!"

"What is it?" Suho asked him.

"He's reverted back to a seven-year-old. When I gave him a psychic blast, he must have been dreaming about something when he was that age. He'll heal but it might take a few hours for the effects of my blast to wear off."

Xiumin glared at him, "Can you do any more damage to him?"

"Xiumin…" Suho sighed but Xiumin ignored him and turned his attention back to Chen, "Chen, can you look at me please?"

Baekhyun looked down at Chen who wouldn't stop shaking. Of course, he won't. He's seven and in prison after seeing his parents killed. It's a wonder why he's even sane. Xiumin was going about this the wrong way. This wasn't the soldier Chen. This is a scared little boy. Baekhyun tapped Xiumin's shoulder, gesturing for him to move. Xiumin frowned. "Trust me." Xiumin had a way with people but Baekhyun was good with kids. Xiumin reluctantly moved but didn't leave Chen's side.

Baekhyun knelt in front of Chen and held out his closed hand to him, low enough so that it was in Chen's line of sight, even with his head bowed. Baekhyun opened his palm.

Chen's teary eyes widened at the small white light in Baekhyun's hand. It was so pretty. Baekhyun slowly brought his hand up, smiling when Chen's head lifted as he followed the light. "Do you want to hold it?" Baekhyun asked him, softly. Chen jolted and quickly bowed his head again, as if realising he wasn't being obedient. He wasn't allowed to look up until he was ordered to.

Xiumin sighed at the change. He wanted to see the wonder in those eyes again. Baekhyun slapped him on the shoulders, grinning, silently telling him to not give up. Baekhyun created more little glow bugs and floated them around Chen's head. Even with his head down, the team could see that he was watching the little light show. Soon Chen couldn't help but lift his head again. This time he looked straight up and the team couldn't help but smile at the awe in Chen's eyes. He was a little boy in a new world. Slowly, Baekhyun let each light disappear until there was only one left. It slowly drifted down and down. "You should catch this one." Baekhyun whispered. They held their breaths as Chen's hands came up to catch the light. "That one's yours." Baekhyun pulled out a clear marble. Chanyeol smiled, knowing what Baekhyun was going to do. He did this a lot with kids they met during missions. Baekhyun put the marble in Chen's hand and sent the small light into it. Light refracted through the ball, sending different colours over Chen's hand. Chen looked up at Baekhyun, hopefully. Was it really his? "It's yours to keep. If you ever find yourself in the dark, take it out. It will never go out. I promise."

Tyrant smiled at how innocent Chen looked. He was seeing that little boy again except this time, he was allowed to be a little boy. Chen's never had a childhood. This was his second chance. "I hope you remember this." He prayed.

Xiumin smiled. "Thank you, Baekhyun."

Baekhyun grinned at him, "The fun has only just begun. Chanyeol, it's getting a little chilly in here."

"Fireballs coming right up. Sehun, catch!" Chen watched as fireballs flew around the room. He stood up, forgetting about being obedient. He reached up to try to catch one but Xiumin quickly stopped him. Chen pouted at him making him chuckle.

"Those aren't like Baekhyun's light. You can get hurt." Xiumin explained, then grinned, "Have you seen snow?" Chen shook his head. Xiumin didn't think his eyes could get any wider. "Do you want to?" Chen nodded vigorously. Xiumin worried his head was going to fall off. He wriggled his fingers in the air like a magician and just like magic, it snowed. Chen smiled at the beauty of the snowflakes drifting around him.

Suho created little water droplets in mid-air. He laughed as Chen started poking at them, making them burst. Suho created one right above Chen. Chen looked up. It slowly came down until it was just above the tip of Chen's nose. He went cross-eyed looking at it before it burst. Chen shook his head at the sudden splash. Xiumin laughed, wiping his face with his sleeve. "Having fun?" Chen smiled. It was the first real smile they've seen from Chen and they realised they wanted to see it every day. It was contagious.

Chen started jumping at the water droplets and glow bugs that were high in the air. D.O watched him closely then timed some tremors to coincide with Chen's jumps. Chen paused at the first tremor. He tilted his head as he looked down at his feet. There was nothing so he jumped at the droplets again, but when he landed the ground trembled again. The team watched as Chen started jumping faster. D.O laughed at the excitement. Chen really thought he was making the ground rumble. He stopped, worried Chen would wear himself out. Chen pouted when the trembles stopped but a glow caught his attention. Just like any boy his age, he was easily distracted.

They spent the next hour watching Chen catch glow bugs with Kai. Kai challenged him to see who could catch the most. Chen was winning because Chanyeol and Sehun kept throwing fire balls at Kai. Soon Chen's pockets were filled with little fairy lights.

Xiumin would let this go on forever but Chen was tiring. He still wasn't well and as much as he wanted Chen to continue with this second chance at a childhood, he knew the boy needed to rest. Lay saw it as well. He nodded to Xiumin to settle Chen onto the bed. Xiumin got up from the ground and tapped Chen's shoulder, getting his attention. "Time to rest." Chen frowned, pouting. "You're tired." Chen shook his head like a stubborn little boy. "Come on. You can sleep on me." Chen let Xiumin lead him to the bed when he remembered something. He turned and threw himself at Baekhyun, wrapping his arms around him.

Baekhyun was shocked at suddenly getting an armful of the Scorpion but he got over it and returned the hug. If someone had told him, at the start of their mission, that he would be hugging Chen, he would've thought that person he was insane. Chen let go and went around the room, hugging each member, just like a little boy would do with family members before bed time. Chen was taught good manners by his mother.

Chen was asleep as soon as his head hit Xiumin's lap. Lay knelt in front of him, feeling for any abnormalities in his breathing and pulse. "He still has a fever but he's breathing and pulse are good. His brain activity is consistent with someone sleeping."

Kai sat against the bed, huffing. "Who'd have guessed he could be so playful."

Baekhyun laughed, "I will always remember that you were beaten by a seven-year-old."

"Hey, Chanyeol and Sehun were trying to kill me." Kai protested.

"Excuses…excuses…" Chanyeol droned.

Xiumin smiled down at the Scorpion, unconsciously running his fingers through his hair. His smile faded when the sound of Chen's screams echoed in his mind. "One day, I'm going to hear your voice without the fear." Lay frowned at him, curious about the statement. "Didn't you hear him? He woke all of you up."

Lay's eyes widened, "That was him? I thought was you!"

Xiumin looked at him as if he were an idiot, "That was Chen. Why would I scream like that?"

"Because he was pounding you?" Chanyeol teased. Xiumin just rolled his eyes at him.

Lay nodded, slowly, full of thoughts, "Not talking for him is psychological, which means, if he feels safe enough, he might talk again."

"When and will." Xiumin told him, determined, " _When_ he feels safe again, he _will_ talk again." The team all nodded, as determined at Xiumin. They will create a new world for Chen, where he will feel safe.

* * *

Suho was sitting with Tyrant. The man had silently watched the scene. He needed to thank these boys for allowing him to be witness to a miracle. He didn't think it was possible to give someone back their childhood but this team did exactly that. "Will he remember this when he wakes up?"

Tyrant nodded, "If he never remembers anything before the age of seven then that will be his one good memory."

"Then as his leader, thank you for giving him that." Suho held out his hand.

Tyrant smiled before gripping it. "Takyun may be a bastard, but he sure as hell knew what he was doing when he trained your team."

Suho shook his head, "He may have trained Chen, but we were trained by Colonel Solomon. He was a good man."

"Was?"

Suho nodded, "He died two years ago. That's when the General took command of us."

Tyrant thought about that, "How did the colonel die?"

"Rebel…" Suho closed his eyes. "Rebels killed him." He knew it was a lie concocted by the General.

"Takyun is a devious man. He wanted your team but knew you would never report to him with Solomon around." Tyrant told him what Suho already knew in his heart.

Suho turned to Tyrant, "Your drill isn't really used to just make more room for refugees, are they?"

Tyrant laughed, "I can see why you're the leader." He sobered, "We're drilling a tunnel under the dome wall and straight into the heart of the military base. Our plan was to kidnap Takyun and ransom him to access their water supply. We have everything we need out here but unless it rains hard, we are short on water."

"You know, these people have managed to survive underground for decades. Maybe there is still a way to keep this planet alive or at least, delay the destruction for a little longer." Suho suggested.

Tyrant nodded, "Our scientists were thinking the same thing, but that required giving up dome life. Do you think the elite are willing to do that? They've been secretly killing citizens for half a century."

"If we can get the General to admit it publicly, then the Elite will have no choice but to give up their lifestyle." Suho sighed, looking at his team laughing and joking even in a time like this. "So many times, I wish I could take them away from here." He sat up as he remembered the Planet Earth. He grinned, turning to the Colonel, excited. "Did you know there's a planet about 120000 light years from here called Earth? Our ships can travel there in about a week. My team and I went there to scout if it was inhabitable. The atmosphere was perfect but it was inhabited by humans. The trees and mountains there are real!" Tyrant laughed at how animated Suho was, "They could fly between lands and there were tens of thousands of different cultures. We loved it there."

"Why haven't we heard of it if it's so perfect?"

Suho smiled sadly at him, "We knew what would happen if we reported that this world was livable. We would invade and there will be a war between us and the Earthlings. They weren't the most peaceful race but they were far better off than we are. It's not fair to try to take what they've built. Chanyeol wiped the ships records and replaced it with data we found from the planet next to it." Suho shrugged, "It was the first time I disobeyed orders but EXO had its chance. We can't take what's not ours."

"You really are a worthy leader, Suho." Tyrant stood from his seat, "I hope you get to visit that planet again. I have work to do. It's almost morning. I'll meet you in the break room in three cycles. If we want to take down Takyun, we need to work on a plan."

* * *

Suho joined the team, watching over Chen. "What were you two talking about?" Lay asked him.

Suho shook his head, "We'll tell you everything later." He smiled at Chen who was scrunching up his nose, as if he could still feel the water splash on it. "I'm glad we could give him a good memory."

"Will he remember it?" Xiumin asked, hopefully.

Suho nodded, "Colonel thinks so."

"That was fun. Good thinking, Baekhyun." Lay complimented the prankster.

Baekhyun shrugged, "I'm a big kid. I know how little kids think."

Suho laughed, "He definitely knows himself well." He could see his friends were tired from the fun as well. "Close your eyes guys. Rest. We have a lot of work to do after this." He closed his own eyes, smiling at the memory they created for Chen.

* * *

Chen opened his eyes. He didn't move as he looked around. The team was sleeping around the room. He frowned, remembering something that didn't make sense. He met these men when he was seven but how was that possible. Chen was older than half of them. How could he remember them? Why is this memory so clear? Where did it come from? Was it real? "Chen?" Chen turned onto his back and found himself looking up at Xiumin. "Are you okay?" He smiled at Chen. Chen was confused but he didn't know how to explain it to Xiumin so he nodded. Xiumin pressed a hand against his forehead. "You're not as warm but the fever hasn't broken." Chen just kept frowning at him. "What's wrong?" Suddenly Chen remembered something. He pushed himself up and patted around his pockets. He paused when he felt it in his jacket, pulling it out. The marble Baekhyun gave him was still here. It wasn't a dream. It really was a memory. It lit up Chen's face, making him look even younger than Sehun. Xiumin smiled, "You do remember." A tear dropped from Chen's eye. He did. He didn't care that the memory didn't make sense. That it didn't fit neatly in a timeline. He cared that it was real and it was the one memory he could hold on to. It was the one memory he could use to push back the bad ones. "Chen?" Chen turned and tucked himself against his first ever friend. Xiumin gasped. This wasn't a seven-year-old little boy seeking comfort. This was Chen. The real Chen. Not the one the General introduced. This was the Chen that was buried so deep down that he almost disappeared. Xiumin wrapped his arm around him, "Welcome to our family, Chen."

* * *

General Takyun looked at the computer. It's been three days now and no response from the team. Either the team failed or they found out the truth. Either way, they would not survive. Takyun could not risk the team returning now. It was a shame. This team was the best. He was also hoping Chen would be returned to him. He was a valuable asset. He may be expendable but it was rare to ever come to that because Chen was trained to complete his missions. Something went wrong with this one. He couldn't let Chen fall into enemy hands. He was too powerful. Takyun pressed enter on his computer. _Good bye, Chen._

* * *

Chen stood at the table where there was a map of the tunnels and the city. They sat on top of each other, overlapping to show where the tunnels come out. The more they talked about Takyun the more he was sure they didn't know. He listened to their plan but it wasn't going to work because Takyun would see them coming.

"The tunnel will come out directly below the main…" Takyun was interrupted by a hand on the map. He looked up at Chen who had a determined look on his face. "What's wrong?" Everyone turned their attention to Chen. He pointed at the map and shook his head, then pointed at his own head. They frowned at him, not understanding. He pointed frantically at the headquarters on the map and then at his head again, almost stabbing it.

Xiumin took his hand gently in his, "Stop. You're going to hurt yourself. Can you write down what you want to say?" Chen shook his head, tearing up. He was never taught to read or write for this reason. The General didn't want him communicating with anyone. "Hey, it's okay. We'll figure this out. You don't want us going to headquarters." Chen nodded vigorously. Xiumin looked at the others.

"Why?" Baekhyun asked.

Chen frowned and pointed at his head, begging someone to understand him. His eyes widened when his gaze fell on Tyrant. He pointed at him and then at his head again. "You want Tyrant to read your mind?" Suho guessed. He knew he guessed wrong when Chen's eyes widened in horror. He stepped back from them, shaking. "Chen?"

Chen kept backing away from them, his hands coming up to his ears, shaking his head. "Chen." Xiumin grabbed him and pulled him into his arms before he could stumble over a chair. "It's okay. Nobody's reading your mind."

D.O put a hand against Chen's back, "If he doesn't want Tyrant to read his mind, then what is he trying to tell us?" He rubbed his hand up and down Chen's back, trying to sooth the shaking. Xiumin just hugged him tighter.

Chen tried to calm his breathing. He focused on the team's voices, their worried tones and the gentle hand on his back. He was about to pull back when a sharp pain stabbed at the base of his skull. The immense pain rendered his entire body useless.

"Chen!" Xiumin gasped when he took all of Chen's weight. Chen tensed, his eyes rolled back. "He's seizing! Lay!" He and D.O laid Chen down on the hard ground, watching helpless as his friend's entire body cramped up. "What wrong with him?"

"I don't know." Lay scanned Chen body with his energy, trying to find the origin of Chen's condition. He frowned when he felt an alien presence in Chen's body. "There's something at the base of his skull."

Tyrant recognised it immediately. "A kill chip." He gasped.

"A what?"

"Move out of the way!" Tyrant ordered. The team, save Xiumin and Lay, made room for him. Tyrant turned Chen onto his front. "Right here, there is a chip. Takyun must have put it there in case Chen was captured. We're lucky it didn't kill him instantly."

"Monster!" Xiumin couldn't believe he had been following the scum all this time. "Can you help him?"

Takyun looked around at the team. "Who's a Blink?" Kai hesitantly stepped forward. Tyrant grabbed him and pulled him down next to him. He put a hand on the base of Chen's head and then one on Kai's head, sending an image of the chip to Kai, "Can you see that?"

Kai gasped and pulled away. It was strange feeling to have an imaged forced into his mind. He nodded, shakily, "Is that the chip?"

"You need to teleport it out."

"What?!" Kai shot to his feet. "I can't do that. I'll kill him."

"Kai, he's dying." Xiumin begged him.

"What he's asking is impossible?" Kai insisted. He couldn't teleport something out of a person.

"You all have been trained to use your skills psychically. I can show you exactly where the chip is and if you do any damage, I can show Lay where the damage is so he can heal him. If the three of us work together, we can save him. If you hesitate any longer, Chen will die!" Tyrant gave them the ultimatum.

"Kai, please!" Xiumin begged again.

Lay stood up, "Come on. Let's do this together. I haven't done anything like this either but we don't have a choice. We'll kill him if we don't try." As if to prove Lay right, Chen's seizing intensified.

"We need to do this now!"

Kai took a deep breath and nodded. He knelt on one side of Chen's head, opposite Lay. Tyrant was in the middle. He placed a hand on the healer and the teleporter and sent in the image of the what he was seeing in Chen's head into both their minds. Kai focused on the chip. It was deep in the brain.

Xiumin shook as he watched the psychic operation. Chanyeol stepped up to him. "He'll be okay." He assured him.

Suho clenched his fist. He will make sure Takyun paid for this. Sehun put an arm around his leader, seeking and giving comfort.

The team stood around, silently waiting.

Kai focused his power on the chip in his mind. He wrapped his energy around it and then pulled. He gasped when the chip appeared in his hand. "It's out!"

Lay immediately saw the bleeding from the removal of the chip. He focused healing the damaged nerves and muscles. His eyes shot open once he was done. "The bleeding's stopped."

Tyrant laid a hand on Chen's head, reading it. He smiled when he felt he was only unconscious. "He'll be okay."

Xiumin dropped to his knees from the relief. His entire body felt like jelly. Chanyeol dropped down next to him. He was smiling and crying at the same time. How did this guy become so important to him in such a short amount of time?

D.O clenched his fist. "I'm going to kill the General."

Baekhyun put an arm around him, "Come on. Let's make him comfortable." He said of Chen who was still on the floor. He wanted to take D.O's mind off the General. Suho and Sehun helped Lay and Kai up who were mentally exhausted from the operation. "You two look as pale as Chen. Go rest." He told them as he turned Chen over onto his back. D.O and he lifted Chen between them, cradling him between their arms. Chen's head lolled against Baekhyun's shoulder. They settled him on the couch. Baekhyun sat on the edge of the couch. He sighed, brushing Chen's hair out of his eyes. "You scared the hell out of me."

"I'll get him a blanket." D.O gave his shoulder a squeeze before leaving.

Xiumin got off his knees with Chanyeol's help after finally getting his legs back. Chanyeol grabbed and chair and dragged it over to the couch. "Sit. I'll get you something to drink." Xiumin nodded.

Baekhyun turned to Xiumin, "You look paler than Chen."

Xiumin glared at Baekhyun, "The General almost killed him."

"He didn't. Don't let Chen see you angry. You'll scare him. He's only ever been treated with anger." Baekhyun sighed, "We're the only people who care about him. Don't show him anything that will remind him of the General and his people." Xiumin nodded, knowing Baekhyun was right.

* * *

"Are you okay, Colonel?" Suho asked the Colonel who was sitting at a table with his hand in his head.

"I'm fine. You boys are truly impressive." Tyrant groaned as he lifted his head, "Man, I'm getting old."

"You saved Chen's life. Thank you." Suho sat down opposite him.

"I couldn't have done it without you boys." Tyrant smiled at him. "Your team is this planet's only hope."

Suho shook his head, "It's too late to save it."

Tyrant nodded sadly, "At least our people can live out the rest of their lives in peace." He looked over at Chen, "Do me a favour?" Suho nodded. "Make sure he lives out the rest of his life in happiness. He's suffered too much."

"I promise."

* * *

Chen opened his eyes, blinking tiredly. He turned his head and found Xiumin slouched in the chair, asleep. He smiled at his new friend. No one has ever cared about him the way Xiumin did. He wished he could tell Xiumin how much it meant to him.

Xiumin frowned, feeling eyes on him. He opened his own eyes and was pleasantly surprised to find Chen looking at him. "Hey." He whispered, leaning forward to feel Chen's brow. "How are you feeling?" Chen nodded and winced at the headache. "Take it easy. You had a small operation in your head. Did you know you had a chip there?" Chen frowned at him, confused. "I guess not. It doesn't matter. It's out. The General can't hurt you anymore." Xiumin caught the flash of fear in Chen's eyes at the mention of the General. "I won't let him touch you. I promised." He put a warm hand against Chen's cheek, caressing it with his thumb. Chen closed his eyes, his hand coming up to keep Xiumin's hand against his face. The touch was filled with kindness. Xiumin smiled as Chen fell asleep again.

 **Two hours later…**

Chen woke up to voices. He looked around and found the team and Tyrant talking around the table again. Suddenly, he recalled what he was trying to tell them before he passed out. He stumbled off the couch in a hurry, knocking over chairs as he did.

Baekhyun was the first to turn around at the noise. "Chen!" He rushed over, helping the Scorpion up. "What are you doing up?"

Chen looked at him desperately, pointing at his head. It was déjà vu. "Chen, slow down." Xiumin came over and took him off Baekhyun. "You can't tell us when you're so worked up." Chen tried to calm his breathing as he pulled Xiumin to the table. He pointed at the map, then pointed at Tyrant and then at his own head before returning the map.

D.O frowned as he looked at the places he was pointing. "Headquarters?" D.O pointed to the map. Chen shook his head. "Military? Soldiers. General." Chen nodded vigorously. "You mean the General." Chen nodded again and pointed to Tyrant and his own head.

"What is he trying to say?" Chanyeol scrubbed at his head.

"The Colonel and his head…no…" D.O narrowed his eyes, "your mind?" Again, Chen nodded, his eyes wide as D.O got closer to what he was trying to tell him. "General, Colonel, mind." D.O felt his heart skip a beat when the pieces fell together. "The General's a Psy!" Chen nodded in relief. Finally, he got the message out. Suddenly he felt weak.

Xiumin caught Chen before he could fall and sat him in a chair. "I'm getting you something to eat." It was a shock to find out that the General was a Psy but he needed to take care of Chen first. The others could worry about the General.

"No wonder Chen was in such a panic. The General would sense us before we even make it out of the tunnels." Baekhyun gave Chen's shoulder a squeeze, getting his attention. "Thank you." Chen gave him a shy, tired smile.

"I swear, the first girl he smiles at his going to turn into a puddle at his feet." Kai laughed.

"Heck, he almost makes me turn into a puddle." Baekhyun ruffled the Scorpion's hair. Chen gave a contented sigh at how comfortable these men made him feel. He leaned over and rested his head against Baekhyun. He wished they didn't have to go back. Baekhyun rubbed his shoulder, "You know, we were already a great team but now that you're with us, I feel like we can take on anyone, including the General." Suho nodded, feeling the same way. Chen looked around the room and saw that everyone seemed think so too. He worried. Taking on the General wasn't easy. The man was pure evil. He wrapped his arms around Baekhyun's waist, suddenly feeling scared again. Baekhyun frowned at how tight his new friend was hugging him. "What's wrong?" Chen shook his head. He didn't want anyone to worry about him. They needed to stay focused on their mission.

Xiumin returned with a bowl of broth from the kitchen, "Here." He put the bowl on the table. "What's wrong?" He asked when he saw how worried Chen looked. Chen let Baekhyun go and shook his head again. "Are you sure? You can tell me anything." Chen nodded then turned to the bowl and started eating. Xiumin sighed. He looked at Baekhyun who just shrugged. Xiumin will need to work it out later.

* * *

Chen laid on the couch in the middle of the night, watching the men asleep around him. They surrounded him strategically, protecting him. The more Chen thought about each soldier the more he was scared for them. He listened to them all day, talking about how to get into the building to get to the General. His heart beat sped as the plans were getting finalised. He didn't want these people to get hurt. In all his life, he never had friends, now he had eight of them and it scared him. Every single one of them cared about him and wanted to protect him, including Kai and Sehun. It scared him, how much he cared for them. It scared him to the point that it was hurting now. Tears ran down his face at the thought of losing them. Chen sat up and pulled his legs to his chest, trying to control his emotions. He hugged his knees tight! Images of his new friends being treated the same way he was, plagued his mind. He didn't want them to feel that pain, to feel lonely and hopeless.

Xiumin woke up when he heard a sob. He rubbed his eyes and went to turn on the lights to the room. "What the hell?" Chanyeol woke up first, "What are you doing, Xiumin?" He complained as he shielded his eyes from the light.

Xiumin ignored Chanyeol when he saw the state Chen was in, "Chen, what's wrong?" Chen started shaking as the images in his mind intensified, "Chen!" Xiumin tried to turn Chen to face him, "Come on, Chen, look at me."

Soon everyone was awake and surrounding the two. "What's wrong with him? Is he sick?" Sehun asked, "Lay, can you help him?"

Lay sat in front on Chen and gently placed a hand on his head, making sure the injury he sustained from the removal of the chip was definitely healed, "He's fine. I don't feel anything wrong with him physically."

"Chen." Suho called to him, trying to get his attention.

Chen didn't answer them because he couldn't tell them how he was feeling. He couldn't talk or write. He could only use his hands to express himself and he didn't know how to tell him that he was scared of losing them. "Are you scared?" A voice asked him. Chanyeol. Chen's head flew up. He nodded at the tall pyro, tears streaked down his cheeks.

"Of the General?" Kai asked. Chen shook his head. Yes, he was scared of the General but that wasn't what he was scared about right now. The General couldn't hurt him here.

Chen turned to Xiumin. Xiumin smiled at the scared, innocent eyes that also showed how much he cared about this team, "You're scared for us." Chen let out a long, shaky breath and threw his arms around Xiumin. "You don't want to lose your friends." Chen started sobbing. Xiumin sighed. What could he do? He couldn't promise Chen he wouldn't lose them because he might not be able to keep it.

Suho tapped Lay's shoulder, asking him for the seat. They exchanged places. "Every time we go on a mission, we would head up to the highest point on our base and watch the suns set." Chen slowly released Xiumin to listen to his leader, "We do it because we know it could be the last time we see it. I know how you feel. We all do because we feel this way every time we're given a dangerous assignment. We don't know if we will all come back alive or if we will be carrying one of us back." Tears came to everyone's eyes as Suho voiced how they felt. "But we do what we do because we know it's saving lives. We're facing the General because we know it will save lives." He wiped at Chen's tears, "I know it's different for you. You've never been a part of a team, a part of a family. You don't want to lose us. It's the same for us. We just met you and in the little time we've known you, you've shown us that in the darkest place, there is always a light. In your world, there was only darkness and yet, somehow, you managed to hold onto something because your heart still remains good." Suho wiped away his own tears, "I don't want to lose you Chen because there is still so much good in this universe, that we want you to see. But we can't show it to you until we take down the General."

Chen was still scared but Suho was right. The General had to be taken down. He couldn't be selfish. Chen nodded. He leaned his head on Xiumin's shoulder and closed his eyes. "We'll get through this together." Xiumin said positively, "I want to know more about you. It's only been a few days since I've met you but somehow it feels like you've been a part of this team forever."

D.O smiled at the truth of Xiumin's words. It was like Chen was a missing part of their team. "I want to get to know you too. It's nice to have someone quiet join the team." He gestured to Chanyeol and Baekhyun. "These two make too much noise but you seem to keep their cheekiness down a peg or two."

"Hey! You just wait," Baekhyun threatened and then winked at Chen, "It won't be long before he joins the dark side. Mwah… ha… ha…" Chen grinned sleepily. It seemed the team managed to calm Chen's fears for now and exhaustion was taking over. Baekhyun smiled as Chen tried to stay awake. "He's like a little kid fighting sleep."

Sehun laughed at how Chen tried to open his eyes wider as he eyelids drooped, "He's so cute!" It was strange hearing it from their youngest but he was right, Chen was cute. Eventually, sleep won and Chen fell into an exhausted slumber.

* * *

Chen had a dream. It didn't make sense. _He was standing in a room filled with static. Someone tried to come through the door but it was locked tight. He felt the person banging on the door constantly. Chen went to see look through the peep-hole in the door, jumping back when the General's face appeared. Chen stumbled back. The banging on the door continued but the General never came in. It was strange. While Chen could never leave the prison, the General has always been able to come in. Chen took a deep breath and gathered up the courage to look through the hole again. "I will get in somehow!" The General yelled at him._

Chen shot up on the couch, breathing heavily. What was that? He looked around and found himself alone with Tyrant.

Tyrant smiled when he saw that Chen was awake. He approached him but stopped when Chen looked around frantically. "I'm not going to hurt you. Suho and his team are in our training room, getting themselves ready for their mission. I offered to stay and watch you." The truth was he had to shove them all out of the door. None of them wanted to leave Chen.

Chen frowned. He knew Tyrant couldn't hurt him but he was a Psy. He could read minds. Tyrant smiled, knowing what Chen was thinking and it wasn't because he was reading Chen's mind. He couldn't. Chen always had a shield protecting his mind. It was fascinating that he was such a natural with the skill. "You know, you can protect the team from the General." Chen's eyes widened. "It's true. Your ability to shield your mind can be used to shield theirs. You've done it once already." Chen deflated at that. He also knocked them all out because of it. "That was an accident." It was easy to know what Chen was thinking. He was very expressive. "You've never done that before and it was a natural reflex. I can teach you to control it." Again, Chen sat up. Tyrant smiled. "Do you want to try?" Chen nodded vigorously. "It won't be easy." Chen shot off the couch and onto his knees, pulling at Tyrant's sleeves, begging him to teach him. "It won't be easy, but you have a natural instinct to protect the people you love." Tyrant's eyes grew sad. Chen worried he did something to upset the man, "Every night for the past ten years, I've thought about the little boy I left behind." Tyrant put a hand on Chen's head, patting it as if he was still that seven-year-old boy. "Now, here you are as innocent as you were then even after everything Takyun put you through. I'm sorry. I should've have tried harder to get you out of there." Tyrant started crying, "I'm so sorry!" Chen watch the grown man cry so hard he was sobbing. Chen didn't know what to do, so he laid his head on Tyrant's lap and cried with him. He didn't know the truth. Tyrant wasn't crying because of the boy left behind. He was crying because he did so much worse than that.

When Tyrant finally got his emotions under control, he stood up and pulled Chen with him, "I'm going to show you how you can protect your friends." He wiped away his tears and then wiped away Chen's. "I've never met anyone like you or your friends. Your psychic abilities are phenomenal. Protecting your friends will become a natural reflex to you but it can only happen when you can do it when you are relaxed. If you can build a shield around your friends when you are not under attack then it will be reflexive when you're under attack." Chen frowned at him, tilting his head. He didn't understand. Tyrant smiled, "Let's find a quiet place and I'll teach you how to focus on your shield. Once you feel it, you can manipulate it." He rubbed his hand up and down Chen's arm, smiling. He knew this boy could protect the team.

* * *

When the team returned from practice and helping the refugee with food and blankets, they returned to the break room, that had become their barrack, with dinner. They were all eager to see Chen after almost a day of being away. Xiumin worried that Chen would get anxious after not seeing them for so long but when they arrived, Chen was asleep. Xiumin sat on the side of the couch. "Hey." He gently shook Chen's shoulder, "Chen. Wake up. It's time for dinner." The team prepared the food while Xiumin woke their friend.

Lay started to worry when Chen didn't respond to Xiumin's calls. He sat in the chair next to the couch and put a hand against his forehead, checking to see if anything was wrong. All he felt was exhaustion. He gave Chen a mental nudge. Xiumin smiled in relief when Chen frowned, irritably. He opened his eyes, glaring at Xiumin, sleepily. "Hey, Chennie Chennie. Why are you so tired?" Chen narrowed his eyes at the new nickname, unsure if he liked it or not.

Lay chuckled, "I don't think he likes that name."

"Chennie Chennie suits him better. He's a big kid." Xiumin grinned when Chen pouted at him. "See?"

Chen was too tired to get annoyed with his friend's teasing. He grabbed Xiumin and pulled himself into Xiumin's arms, dropping his head against his shoulder. "Why are you so tired? We're the ones who've been training and helping out."

"Aahh! You boys are back." Tyrant called back, returning with two plates of food. "And you got food. Should've saved the energy then." He held up his plates, "Chen's been working really hard. I went to get him dinner."

Xiumin frowned and pushed Chen back, brushing back his hair, "What have you been up to?" Chen opened his eyes at the question and gave a sleepy smile.

Tyrant chuckled at his sleepy and yet proud expression. "Let's get some food into him and maybe he'll get his energy back."

Xiumin sighed. He really wanted to know what Chen's been up to while they were gone but the Colonel was right, Chen needed food. "Come on." He and Lay pulled Chen up and led the sleepy man to the table. Kai pulled a chair out for Chen and sat down next to him.

"You need to eat." Kai put a bowl of broth in front of him. The broth looked really good, but his hand shook as he lifted the spoon. "Aiya, let me help you." Kai took the spoon off Chen and held the bowl in the other hand, spoon feeding the broth to Chen. Chen didn't like letting Kai, who he knew was younger than him, feed him but he couldn't get his hands to work. "You haven't been well. You shouldn't be doing anything strenuous." Kai admonished him. He liked Chen and felt a need to protect him, especially after meeting the seven-year-old Chen. "One of us should've stayed with you. I don't know why all of us had to go train." Kai glared at Suho.

Suho rolled his eyes, "This assignment is important."

"I know that but look at him now. He can't even eat on his own." Kai threw dirty looks at the Colonel, "Why would you get him to do anything? We only just took a chip out of his brain the other day."

"Kai." Suho admonished, quietly, though he agreed with their second youngest.

"Chen's one of us. If you want him to do anything for you, ask us first." Baekhyun backed up Kai, "He's not like the rest of us. He doesn't think he has a choice in anything. He doesn't know how to refuse."

Tyrant let himself get berated by these young men. He understood they were protective of Chen. "Believe it or not; Chen's quite capable to taking care of himself and the others around him."

Chen watched the team and Tyrant disagree over what Chen should or shouldn't be doing. He finished off the soup and smiled at Kai, thanking him. Kai rubbed his shoulder, nodding but he still didn't look happy. Chen tugged at Kai's sleeve, frowning as he tried to figure out how to tell him that Tyrant was only helping him. He reached up with his two index fingers and tried to turn Kai's frown into a smile. Kai chuckled, pulling Chen's hands down. "You don't want us to be angry with the Colonel." Chen nodded and turned to the others with his pleading eyes. How could they refuse?

"Just don't get Chen to do anything without one of us around." Chanyeol rolled his eyes at Chen's smile. He pointed at the Scorpion, "And don't you do anything without us around. Look at you now. You're barely functional."

Chen narrowed his eyes at the man sitting opposite him and shot a tiny lightning bolt at him from under the table, "AAAHH!" Chanyeol shot in the air, rubbing his leg, "That hurt!" Chen stuck his tongue out at him. The others were holding their stomachs as they laughed.

"I guess that broth gave him his energy back." D.O cracked between breaths.

Chanyeol narrowed his eyes at Chen, "I'm keeping my eye on you." Chen leaned over and rested his head on Xiumin's shoulder, grinning at Chanyeol cheekily. "Xiumin can't help you. I can melt his ice!"

"And I can put out your fireballs." Suho warned. Chen's head shot up, smiling at him gratefully. "You're welcome!"

"Alright, Chanyeol, sit down and finish your dinner." Baekhyun pulled him back into his seat, then turned to the Colonel. "What were you doing with Chen?"

Tyrant looked at Chen, "Are you strong enough to give them a demonstration?" Chen frowned and shrugged, putting up one finger. "Okay. Let's try with one person."

"Suho, what can you do with your power mentally?" Tyrant asked him.

Suho thought about that, "I can make people think their drowning."

Tyrant nodded, impressed, "That's useful. Why don't you try that on Xiumin?"

Xiumin's eyes widened at the same time Suho shot off his chair, "Are you kidding me? I would never do that to a friend."

Xiumin frowned when Chen pulled at his sleeve, "What is it, Chen?" He asked him gently, even after being threatened with being drowned. Chen pointed at his head and then at Xiumin's. Xiumin didn't understand what Chen was trying to say. Chen pointed to Suho and then pointed at him and shook his head, shaking his hands at him as well. "Are you saying Suho can't hurt me?" Chen nodded, confidently. "Because I've seen him do it and I have a fear of drowning in the ocean." Chen frowned, wondering if he should risk it. He reached out with his mind, seeing if his shield was extended to Xiumin. It was. Chen picked up Xiumin's hand and placed it on his chest. _Trust me._ Xiumin gave Chen an affectionate smile and nodded. He turned to Suho. "Go ahead. Drown me."

Suho rolled his eyes, "I'm not going to drown you."

"Just do it, Suho. I have a feeling you can't anyway." Xiumin dared.

"I don't want to traumatise you."

"Just do it already, Suho!" Sehun called out impatiently. He wanted to know what Chen could do.

Suho let out a long breath, "Fine." He focused on Xiumin, sending an image of the deep ocean. Xiumin frowned, feeling something pushing against his energy but nothing else.

Baekhyun yawned, "Come on, Suho. Do it already."

"I am!" Suho pushed again but Xiumin didn't feel it. Everyone sat up when they realised Chen was also concentrating on Xiumin. Kai noticed the sweat running down the back of his neck. Suho gave up. He couldn't push his power into Xiumin's mind. "I don't get it."

Chen huffed, letting his shield down. He grinned at Xiumin and then at Suho. Kai put a hand on his shoulder, "Are you okay?" He worried at how exhausted Chen looked. Chen smiled at him and nodded.

Xiumin frowned, "Were you blocking Suho?" Chen nodded again, proudly. "You created a shield around me." Xiumin ruffled his hair, "Is that what you've been working on?"

Tyrant smiled proudly, "He worked hard and practiced all day. Protecting comes naturally to him. It didn't take long for him to focus on the defensive form of his powers."

Xiumin brushed back Chen's damp hair, "It took a lot out of him though."

"For now, but he'll get better at it. He can only extend his shield to one of you today because he's tired from practicing all day but he will be able to shield all of you." Tyrant told him, "We've been worried about how we can't get close to the General without him sensing you. Now we can."

The team sat quietly, thinking about the implications of that. For the first time, they could see their plans succeeding. However, that meant putting Chen in the middle of it all. None of them wanted to do that but Chen trained today for this very reason. As much as they wanted to protect Chen, they couldn't put his life above the rest of the world. "Here we are trying to think of a way to protect you and you go and find a way to protect us." Suho smiled at the Scorpion. "Just be careful when you're practising. Don't exhaust yourself." Chen nodded at him, promising he would take care of himself.

* * *

 **Five days later...**

Chen watched the mental battle between the General and Tyrant. It was strange watching the two stand frozen when a small war flew around them. Fireballs, ice daggers, tidal waves, tornadoes, blinding lights, lightning bolts and earthquakes, destroyed the military base. There were too many. As strong as this team was, they couldn't hold off an entire army and Chen could see the soldiers getting closer and closer to the Colonel. This was supposed to be a stealth mission but the Colonel was prepared for the attack and had his men on guard around his base. This man was too cunning and careful. He was caught by surprise because he didn't sense them coming but his security was on high alert. The team tried their hardest to hold off the men as Tyrant continued his battle.

Tyrant felt himself losing the battle. In all the years, he'd known Takyun, he never knew how powerful he was. "Good bye, Tyrant. I was hoping Suho's team would take out your base but this is good enough. Once you are gone, your underground operation will soon follow." Tyrant closed his eyes ready for the attack but it didn't come. He opened his eyes and found Chen focusing his powers on the General.

"Chen!"

Chen's heart beat a million miles an hour. The General was glaring at him and he felt like a scared little boy again, "You can't beat me, Chen. I trained you!" Chen gasped, stumbling back and losing his hold on his shield.

The General felt the shield drop and smiled, evilly, "You think this team will protect you, Chen? They'll turn on you." And just like that the team stopped their attacks and turned to Chen.

"No!" Tyrant called but was immediately subdued by the General's men, knocking him out.

Chen backed away as his friends advanced on him. He shook his head, denying what was happening. He tried to look in each of their eyes to find hope that his friends were still there but there was nothing. A fireball flew at him, burning his arm before a wave of water knocked him off his feet. The General was making them toy with him. Chen wiped away the water from his eyes and pushed himself back. He couldn't use his powers now that he was wet. Not physically. Chen felt himself get picked up off the floor and thrown against the wall. Bones cracked. He slid to the ground. D.O held him to the wall. He couldn't move. His arms pinned out to the side by an invisible force, his legs weighted to the ground. "How does it feel to know you're about to die, Chen, by the hands of the people you love? See? I was being kind to you by not letting anyone care for you. You weren't shown love because it's a weakness." Tears ran down Chen's cheeks as he tried his hardest to break free. He wasn't afraid of dying. He was afraid of what would happen when the General released his hold on them. He knew the team couldn't handle the fact that they had killed him. He wanted to scream out. He needed them to wake up. "I believe Xiumin is the best person to take your life." Chen's eyes widened in horror as Xiumin slowly knelt in front of Chen. A ice dagger formed in his hand. Chen shook his head. There was nothing he could do but watch Xiumin press the tip of the ice weapon against his chest, straight at his heart. Chen gasped as the dagger pierced through his uniform, followed by his skin. Xiumin flattened his palm against the back of the dagger and slowly pushed. The General watched through Xiumin's eyes as the weapon reached Chen's lungs.

Something glowed through the hole in Chen's shirt, made by the dagger. Chen looked down as the marble Baekhyun gave him dropped out and rolled to Baekhyun's feet. It was as if the light was alive and knew who it's owner was. Baekhyun looked down, tilting his head at it. Chen looked up at Baekhyun, hoping to see some kind of light but Baekhyun ignored the marble. Chen coughed. Blood trickled down his chin as the dagger pierced through his lung and reached his heart. He knew he would die but he had something he needed these men to know. He opened his mouth, "Tha…Thank…you." He managed, just as the dagger stabbed through his heart. Chen smiled as he watched Xiumin's kind eyes return. He turned and saw the same with the others. His arms dropped as D.O awoke, releasing his hold.

Xiumin looked down at his hand, gasping for breath when he realised what he was doing. He jolted, pulling his hand away from the weapon he created. "No…" he gasped about to step away from what he had done but Chen grabbed his hand.

The team watched, tears running down their faces, as Chen brought Xiumin's hand up to his cheek. He smiled at him. The team was no longer in the General's control which meant he still had a job to do. He extended his shield to protect them one last time before letting his eyes close. "No…no…" Chen slumped forward against Xiumin. "Chen." Xiumin sobbed, "Please…I'm sorry." He looked down at the dagger protruding from Chen's chest, reaching down, he put a hand around it, about to pull it out.

Lay shook himself out of the shock of what he was seeing. "No!" He knelt down and grabbed Xiumin's wrist, "You pull it out and he will die." He put a hand against Chen's chest, forcing his heart to beat and his lungs to breathe. "This is stopping him from bleeding out."

"He's still alive?" Baekhyun asked for them all.

"Barely." Lay told them. He looked up at them, eyes filled with rage. "I'll keep him breathing," He promised, "Make sure the General isn't!" Lay, their healer, who only ever spoke of sustaining life, order them to stop one.

* * *

Suho tore his eyes away from Chen. He eyes burning as he turned to face the General. "TAKYUN!" He ran at the General. One by one, each member took one last look at Chen before charging at the General. Soldiers formed a shield around Takyun but the team were in a rage. Kai teleported all over the room, taking soldier with him as he did. The numbers dwindled before their eyes. Sehun sent them flying. A stream of fire burned through them. Suho sent them out the doors with a tidal wave while Xiumin sent up an ice wall, locking anyone out. Within minutes, the place was empty, save for the team, Tyrant and the General.

General Takyun smiled at them. He only needed to attack their minds to take them down. Chen was dead. They were vulnerable. He let them have their fun with their powers. Now it was his turn. He focused his powers on their minds. The team kept stalking towards him. Takyun frowned when they didn't stop and tried again. Nothing. "How?"

"Chen's not dead. He's protecting us. Even as weak as he is, he's still more powerful than you because we're his family!" Xiumin called out, proudly.

For the first time in his life, the General felt fear. He turned to run but Chanyeol threw up a wall of fire, blocking his retreat. "Where do you think you're going, General?" Suho called out to him. "I haven't debriefed yet. I have a lot to tell you!" He focused on Takyun's lungs and filled it with water. Takyun doubled over, coughing up the water.

"Are you having trouble breathing? Let me give you some air." Sehun sent the General into the air and dropped him with a satisfying thump to the ground.

The General grunted, "Go to hell!"

"You first." Chanyeol manipulated his fire wall to surround the General, lowering it enough so he could still see them. The General scrambled up when the ring of fire shrunk. He screamed as his pant leg caught on fire, kicking frantically to put it out. D.O held out his hand. Takyun felt like the ceiling above him was crashing down. It got heavier and heavier until he was lying flat on the ground. Chanyeol put out his fire. They weren't done with him yet. They stood around him, looking down on the scum. Takyun watched in fear as Xiumin formed an ice dagger in his hand. "Tsk, tsk, tsk…" He shook his head, "Chen didn't look scared when he saw this." He knelt above the man and pressed the tip of his weapon above the man's heart. "Was it fun, making me kill my friend? Did you enjoy the show? I hope you did." Xiumin's voice was icy, "Because now you get to star in your own show." Takyun screamed when the ice pierced his skin.

Baekhyun shook his head, "Chen wouldn't have screamed. He was a man. You're nothing."

* * *

Tyrant woke up to someone screaming. He looked over and saw what Xiumin was about to do, "NO!" Tyrant got up and rushed towards the group. "We need his confession!"

"We need him dead." Suho told him simply.

Xiumin pressed the ice further in, "Stop! This will all be for nothing if you kill him. The Elites will find someone else to replace him. The only way to stop them is to expose him!"

"Chen's dying!" Xiumin yelled back in agony, "This world is dying! Who the hell cares? I want him dead!" The ice went in another centimetre. One more centimetre and it will pierce his lungs.

"This isn't what Chen would want! Don't do this in his name! He doesn't want anything to do with Takyun. Not in life and not in death!" Tyrant begged them to listen. "Let me make him talk and then we'll let the citizens of this world deal with him. He won't hurt another person again."

Xiumin stopped. He gripped the ice, fighting with himself. He wanted the man dead. Chen was dying because of him. Xiumin still had Chen's blood on his hands. "He deserves to die."

Suho watched Xiumin's internal struggle. He knew Xiumin couldn't bring himself to let go or push the ice in any further. He knelt next to his friend and turned the ice into harmless water, making the decision for him. Xiumin broke down, sobbing. Suho hugged him. "The Colonel is right. We can't kill him." He turned to Tyrant. "For now." He glared down at the General, "You tell the truth or you'll never talk again."

"I can make him talk." Tyrant assured them. He had a video of all the people he had saved. That with the General's confession would be enough to turn the people against the government. He knelt next to Takyun and injected him with a power inhibitor, making him vulnerable to suggestion. It was easy from here on. Tyrant looked up at the team. "Go to Chen."

They turned and ran back to their friend. Baekhyun stopped when he saw a light on the ground near Chen. The marble he gave Chen was still there. He picked it up. The light was still bright. He promised Chen this light will keep away the darkness. He looked to where Chen was lying. _Am I going to break a promise? How can this small light, push back death?_ Tears escaped his eyes as they surrounded their friend.

Lay was sweating from the effort of keeping Chen's heart beating. "I can't keep this up." Lay's breathing hitched. "I'm trying to heal him but it's too much. It's not just his heart. There's internal bleeding and broken bones. His brain is swelling. The ice is melting. The bleeding is getting worse. I can't focus on so many places."

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes at the words, "If the ice is stopping the bleeding, then we should freeze him." Xiumin spun his head at that. "Keep him cold. The bleeding slows. Lay has time to focus on the damage." He turned to Chanyeol, "You can warm him back up once Lay heals him." Chanyeol nodded. He'd never done it before but he knew he had to try.

"Is it possible?" Kai asked, sceptically and yet with a little hope.

Xiumin looked at his hands and then at Chen's pale face, "We don't have a choice. I can do this."

"Xiumin, are you sure?" Suho worried about the aftermath if this doesn't work. Xiumin will blame himself.

"He's dying. I stabbed him. I have to do something." Xiumin growled.

"It wasn't…"

"It was me! I watched myself do it!" Xiumin refused to let anyone take the blame from him, "I have to do this."

Suho sighed, nodding, "Okay."

Xiumin laid his hands against Chen and sent the ice through Chen's body. He opened his eyes when he was done. Lay put a hand on Chen's forehead, nodding slowly. "His brain activity is the same as that of a coma patient. I think this might work."

"Take it slowly, Lay." D.O warned. Lay nodded, then closed his eyes and concentrated.

Chanyeol waited nervously. He didn't know if he could unfreeze Chen after Lay takes care of his injuries. Baekhyun put a hand on Chanyeol's arm, stilling his nerves, "You can do it. Focus the heat on his heart and mind."

Chanyeol shook his head, "It's not that simple. So many things can go wrong. I could give him brain damage if I use too much. I can burn him. I can…"

"Save him." Baekhyun said simply. "You can save him. Focus on that. If you don't believe you can do it then that's half the battle lost. Chen needs you to do this. Xiumin needs you to do this."

Chanyeol turned to Xiumin. The guilt was clearly written on his face. He kept looking down at his hands. His right hand, clenching and unclenching as if he could still feel the dagger being pushed into Chen. Chanyeol nodded. He had to do this. He couldn't let Chen die and he couldn't let Xiumin live with the guilt of killing his friend.

D.O caught Lay before he could fall back, exhausted from the excessive use of his powers. "Are you okay?"

Lay nodded, "I can't do anymore. He still has broken bones but I can heal those when I get my strength back."

Xiumin placed a hand against Chen's forehead. He was ice. "Chanyeol. Please wake him up."

Chanyeol knelt beside his friend and put a hand on his shoulder, "I'll do my best. I promise."

Baekhyun pulled Xiumin away from Chen, giving Chanyeol space to work, "It'll be okay."

Sweat beaded across Chanyeol's forehead as he concentrated on the temperature of the heat, not allowing it to go above a normal EXOlian's body temperature. He could always control his powers effortlessly but this time he was using it to save a life. This required every ounce of focus he had.

Suho stood with Sehun and Kai as they watched the ice melt away, leaving Chen soaked. Never in all his time as a soldier had he felt this scared. He knew this team would not survive if Chen died. Somehow, the Scorpion had become important of each of them.

Chanyeol pulled his powers back when he was done.

They all stood around Chen. He looked like he was sleeping but Baekhyun saw that something was wrong. "He's not breathing." He knelt down and felt for a pulse. They waited but Baekhyun shook his head. "No pulse." Baekhyun immediately started CPR, pumping Chen's heart for him.

Xiumin dropped at Chen's head, "Don't do this, Chen." He started breathing for Chen while Baekhyun pumped his heart. They worked together, keeping the man alive until he could do it on his own.

"Come on, Chen, breathe!" Baekhyun begged as he pumped harder, "Don't let the General win. He's finished. You're finally free of him. Wake up, Chen."

Xiumin tears dropped onto Chen's cheeks as he blew air into Chen's lungs. _Please don't die._ Then, just has he was ready to give another breath, he felt it. Air. From Chen. "Chen." He gasped. Baekhyun stopped pumping. Everyone stopped breathing as they waited. They all dropped to the ground in relief when they saw Chen's chest rise and fall on its own.

 **Three days later…**

Chen laid in the infirmary at the military base. He hadn't woken up since Lay healed him. Lay assured them that he was healed completely but Chen remained in a coma. The healer attached the life support wristband to Chen and allowed the computer to monitor and keep Chen hydrated. There was nothing else to do but wait.

Xiumin never left his side. The others came and went. They helped Tyrant keep the peace between the Elite and the rest of the people. The people were angry at being deceived for half a century. They wanted the Elite to pay with their lives. They stood in the streets chanting, "Send them out! Send them out!" They wanted them to live outside the dome. Tyrant knew he couldn't allow that to happen. He needed all the resources if he were to implement the next part of their plan; build underground homes and take down the domes. It sounded impossible but with the technology of this world, it was possible as long as the Government worked with their scientists.

* * *

Baekhyun walked into the infirmary late one night after a long day. Xiumin was asleep in the bed next to Chen's. He quietly walked over to Chen's bed and sat down in the chair. Baekhyun pulled out a black leather chain from his pocket. On it was the marble he had given to the seven-year-old Chen. He had it set in a silver pair of angel wings which wrapped itself around the marble. Baekhyun gently lifted Chen's head and looped the chain over it. "There you go. Now you won't lose it. Wherever you go, wherever you are, my light will always be with you." The light on the charm lit up the dark room. "See? You will never be in the dark again." Baekyun looked over at Xiumin, who looked pale in the glow of the charm, "You need to wake up. Xiumin is punishing himself for stabbing you. We can still feel every blow we hit you with. Every time we close our eyes, we see you flying across the room, we can hear your bones breaking," Baekhyun closed his eyes, "We can smell your blood." He wiped away the tear that dropped, "Xiumin can feel every centimetre the ice entered your chest. He won't be able to keep this up much longer. He's going to lose his mind." Baekhyun picked up Chen's hand, "Did you know that Takyun confessed? We did it. He's in prison now. In the same prison he kept you in for over ten years. It's over. Didn't we promise you that he would never get his hands on you again? You never have to see him again, so there's no need for you to be afraid anymore. You can wake up. It's a brand new world out there and we don't want you to miss a second of it."

* * *

 _Chen woke up in a room that was familiar to him and yet not quite. He couldn't remember it but the feeling it gave was warm. He looked around the room. It was a boy's room with robot toys and pictures of heroes. He picked up a photo frame of a family; father, mother and a boy. He smiled. They looked happy. "Chen! Wake up! Breakfast is ready." Chen frowned. The lady was calling him. "It's time for you to go to work. You're going to be late." Chen followed the voice out the door until he reached the kitchen. A lady in her mid-40s turned and smiled at him. "About time you woke up, sleepy-head."_

 _The smile. Chen smiled like her. "Mum?" His hand immediately went to his throat. He could talk and it felt natural._

 _His mother gave him an amused looked, "Yes, Sweetie. I am your mother."_

" _Honey, have you seen my swipe card?" Chen spun around. A man in an army uniform walked into the room. "Good morning, kiddo!"_

" _Dad." Chen gasped._

 _His father gave him the same smile his mother did. He walked over to his son and checked his forehead, "Are you feeling okay?" Chen wrapped his arms around his father and nodded._

 _His mother walked over and rubbed her hand up and down Chen's back, "What's wrong, Sweetie?" Chen didn't say anything, he only turned around and hugged his mother._

" _Do you need to stay home, kiddo? I can tell Suho that you're not feeling well."_

 _Chen pulled back. "Suho? You know Suho?"_

" _Of course, I do. You're a part of the best specialist team the military has ever trained." His dad boasted. "Xiumin should be here soon to pick you up." He looked at his watch, "He's a little late."_

" _Xiumin." Chen turned when he heard the hover car pull up outside. "Xiumin!" He ran outside, huffing, watching as his friend pulled off his helmet and grinned at him._

" _Chennie Chennie!" Xiumin called, "Ready to go!"_

 _Chen bounded down the steps and threw himself at his friend. "Xiumin!"_

" _Hey! Wow! What did I do to get this welcome?" Xiumin laughed._

" _What's going on?" Chen asked him. "How am I here? How come I can talk?"_

 _Xiumin frowned and felt his forehead, just like his father, "Are you okay?"_

 _Chen's mother and father stepped out onto the porch, "I don't think he is, Xiumin. I think he should stay home today." His mother waved for Chen to come back into the house, "Come back in, Sweetie."_

 _Xiumin wrapped his arm around Chen's shoulder, "He'll be fine, ma'am. You know I'll take care of him."_

 _Chen frowned at the house. Everything went a little fuzzy, even his parents. He turned to Xiumin but the man was clear and smiling. "Chen, Sweetie, come back inside."_

" _Mum?" Chen stepped towards her and immediately, she and his father cleared up but when he turned to Xiumin, he was blurry._

" _Come on, Chen, we're going to be late." Chen looked between the three people. He didn't understand what was going on. "I need you, Chen." Xiumin suddenly sounded so far away._

" _Xiumin?" Chen called._

" _Please come back to us, Chen. We need you." Xiumin begged him._

" _Let's go, Kiddo. Stay home with us today." His father gestured for him to go into the house with them._

 _Tears came to Chen's eye when he finally remembered what happened. It was clear. The military came into his home and killed his parents. The General was there. He ordered the murder of his parents. He was the one who pulled him from under the bed. "Chen, come in." His mother called._

 _Chen shook his head as the tears ran down his cheeks. He ran up to his mother and father and hugged them both tight. "I can't come with you. You're not real."_

" _What are you talking about? Of course, we are."_

 _Chen pulled back, shaking his head, "No, you're not." His voice hitched, "But it's okay because there's a new family waiting for me." He walked down the steps towards his friend._

" _Chen." His mother started crying._

" _It's okay, mum, dad. We'll see each other again." Chen stood next to Xiumin, who was smiling at him. "I promise. I love you both."_

" _We love you too, Kiddo." His dad called out. Chen got into Xiumin's hover car…_

* * *

Chen's eyes fluttered. His eyelids were made of lead. He felt someone with him. _Xiumin._ Chen forced his eyes to obey. When they finally did, he found himself in a place he wasn't familiar with. A scan of the room told him it was a hospital of some kind. He turned his head and smiled tiredly at his sleeping friend. Chen lifted his hand and placed it on Xiumin's head.

Xiumin lifted his head at the touch. He looked around, confused. Finally, his eyes moved to Chen. "Chen!" He shot off his chair, "You're awake! How are you feeling?" Chen pouted. Xiumin chuckled, "Don't worry. You'll feel better in no time." He sat on the bed and put a hand over Chen's chest where he had stabbed him. His smiled faded, "I'm thought I killed you." Chen's hand came up Xiumin's, giving it a weak squeeze. He shook his head. "I tried so hard to stop myself but the General was too strong. I couldn't stop it." Xiumin buried his face in Chen's shoulder. "I wasn't strong enough."

Chen wrapped his arms around his friend. He swallowed and opened his mouth. He wanted to tell Xiumin that he was strong. He broke the General's hold on him. Chen said his first words in over ten years because of him. He wanted to tell him all of that but the only words he could manage was, "Than…Thank…you…"

Xiumin's head came up again. He didn't think he would hear Chen's voice again. "You're talking."

Chen smiled and put his hand on Xiumin's chest, "…you…he…help…me…"

Xiumin brushed aside Chen's hair, smiling through his tears, "You're an amazing person, Chen, you know that?" Chen shook his head and pointed at him. "Why don't we debate that when you're talking more?" Chen smiled, sleepily at him and turned onto his side, hugging Xiumin's hand to his chest and falling asleep again. Xiumin sighed a long breath. He didn't know how long it would be until he could forgive himself for stabbing Chen or even if he ever would but he did know that he would stay by Chen's side no matter where they were in this universe. Xiumin tried to pull his hand from Chen but he had a strong hold of it. Xiumin chuckled, "Fine. I'll stay a little longer."

* * *

When Baekhyun walked into the room, Chen was sitting up, having his lunch and looking much better than he had in ages. "You're looking good!" Chen grinned at him. "Where is everyone?" Chen shrugged. "Hmmm…still not saying anything to me huh? And I'm the one who gave you your first present." Baekhyun feigned heart break. Chen giggled and it sounded nice. Baekhyun could listen to Chen laugh all day. Chen pulled out his marble and kissed it, giving Baekhyun his sweetest smile. "Alright, you're forgiven."

Chen put down his fork after finishing the last of his lunch. Baekhyun took away the tray and pushed the table out of his way before sitting down on the bed. "You saved our lives. We couldn't have taken on the General if you didn't shield us from his powers. Lay said that's why it took so long for you to wake up. You used up all your energy." Chen shrugged as if it were no big deal. "It'll be a while before he'll let you leave here." Chen frowned at him, clearly not impressed with Lay. "I take it he already told you that." Chen held out his index finger, "Oh, only another day. That's not bad." Baekhyun teased him, knowing what he really meant. Chen narrowed his eyes at him making Baekhyun laugh, "I know! You're stuck here for a week. Don't worry. We'll visit as often as we can. It's still very hectic out there. The Governments around the world haven't come to an agreement about what should be done." Chen yawned. He still tired easily. "Come on. I'm not that boring!" Chen chuckled at his offended expression. "I know. It's boring talking about the Government and politics. Why don't you go to…" Baekhyun smiled affectionately at the Scorpion who's was snoring softly. He moved Chen, as gently as he could, so that he was lying down comfortably. Then he sat back and waited until another member arrived to take over.

* * *

Tyrant watch silently at the door of the infirmary. Suho and his team were laughing as they sat around Chen, who looked ready to fall asleep. It's been almost week and the boy still couldn't stay awake for longer than an hour. Tyrant knew why. This world wasn't good for any kind of recovery process. It even took longer to get over a viral infection now. He sighed as he remembered the seven-year-old boy he met only briefly that night. Chen deserved a long and happy life that this world couldn't give him but there was a world out there that could.

These negotiations with the Government were taking too long. It would be months before they come to any kind of agreement. Until then, water and food supplies were being shuttled to the shelters underground. The Government wasn't giving in. He didn't want Chen to live in this world that lacked any compassion.

Tyrant left the infirmary. He had a plan.

* * *

Suho and the team, including Chen, stood in the hangar where their ship was parked. They were told to meet here for Tyrant. He wasn't expecting to see their ship fuelled and ready to launch. "Are we going on a mission?" D.O asked their leader. Suho shook his head.

"We better not be because Chen is not up to taking on a mission." Xiumin growled and he put an arm around his friend. "Are you okay?" Chen smiled at him and nodded. It'll be a while before Chen used his voice more. For now, he only spoke to Xiumin and even then, his words were broken.

Finally, Tyrant arrived. He gestured for his men to leave the hangar. "Suho, I'm glad you got my message."

Suho nodded, "Do you have a mission for us, General?" The Colonel's position was reinstated with the military and then promoted. The military needed a new leader after Takyun was stripped of his position.

"I do but it's not what you think. You won't be returning from this one." Tyrant told them, matter-of-factly. Everyone was immediately on edge. It sounded like a threat. "Easy, that's not what I meant." He walked up to the ship, "Your ship has been stocked with enough rations, water and fuel to make one trip. I want you to leave this planet."

The team was silent.

"Leave here. Take Chen and show him how beautiful this universe can be." Tyrant ordered them as he looked Chen in the eye. Chen frowned at him, confused. Tyrant walked up to him and put his hands on his shoulder, "I couldn't take you away that night. Let me do the right thing today and send you away from this dying planet." Chen shook his head, tears forming. He didn't want to leave Tyrant here on his own. He didn't want him to think he owed him. "Do this for me, Chen. I want to live the rest of my life knowing you're happy."

"General. We're soldiers. We fight for our people. You can't expect us to leave everyone behind and live happily ever after!" Suho yelled at him.

"This world will die, whether it's in ten years, twenty years or fifty years. Nine soldiers are not going to change its fate." Tyrant turned to Suho but kept a hand on Chen's shoulder, "Look at him. He has only ever seen the ugly part of life. Now, he finally has a family, it's not fair that it's only short-lived." Chen listened to the man talk about him and shook his head. He pulled at the man's jacket and pointed at him, shaking his head, telling him he wasn't leaving him behind. Tyrant smiled at the kind-hearted boy, "I'm needed here. I need to lead my people and fight for their rights."

"Then we'll fight with you."

"No, this isn't your fight anymore. You are soldiers. We are negotiating now. We don't need a covert team. We need scientists, architects, builders, engineers but we don't need soldiers. We have enough." Tyrant walked up to Suho. "You told me about Earth. Go there and take your team with you. Do this for me. I need you to save Chen for me." Tyrant begged him.

Chen didn't understand. Why was he so special? Why was Tyrant fighting so hard to make sure he lived? Chen walked up to him and shoved him hard! "Chen!" Tyrant stumbled but didn't react otherwise. Xiumin pulled Chen back. Chen turned to Xiumin and shook his head, hard. "You don't want to leave. I understand. I don't either." Xiumin turned to Tyrant, "This is our home, General. We're not abandoning it."

"Xiumin's right and Chen doesn't want to go. You can't make us leave." Suho told him.

"Don't make us cowards, General." Lay backed up his leader.

Tyrant shook his head, "I don't understand. I'm giving you a chance to see that planet you loved so much."

"It's beautiful but it's not home!" Suho argued, "We've fought for this world for as long as I can remember. It's all we know!"

"Exactly! You're only kids but all you know is violence!" Tyrant yelled at him exasperated, "The military had no right to do that to you. You are the youngest covert team and yet you are the best because you were recruited and trained too early! Chen was torn from his parents. He was supposed to be a happy boy living a happy life! This world took that from him!"

"Why are you fighting so hard for him? Who is he to you?" Finally, someone asked the question he never wanted to answer. It was D.O. The most logical minded of all of them. "So, you met him once. I don't believe that one meeting could lead to this. Tell us the truth." He turned to Chen, "Tell him the truth."

Tyrant's shoulders slumped and he looked like he aged ten years, "I was a part of the team who invaded his home and killed his parents."

Chen shook his head, denying Tyrant's words. This man trained him. He was able to protect his friends because of this man. Tyrant had to be lying. He didn't trust a man who killed his parents. He couldn't have! "AAAAHHHHH!" Chen went to strike him but was stopped.

"Chen!" Xiumin and Baekhyun pulled him off the General. "Chen!" They held the mad man back as Suho pulled Tyrant away from Chen.

Chen struggled with the arm holding him. "AAAAHHHHHH!" He screamed again in agony. This couldn't be true. This man wasn't responsible for his parents' death.

"Chen!" Xiumin pulled his little brother into his arms and held him, letting him kick and scream until he had no strength left. Baekhyun kept a hand on Chen's shoulder. He watched as he lost his energy to fight anymore and broke down sobbing.

Baekhyun turned to the General, "Did you kill them?" He asked the question on everyone's mind. They held their breaths, waiting for the answer.

Tyrant shook his head, "But I was there. I watched Takyun kill them both."

"How can you keep that from him?" Kai growled. "He trusted you!"

"I couldn't tell him."

"Then why are you telling him now!?" Baekhyun yelled at him, "After he finally put it all behind him, why tell him this now?"

"Because he needs to know there is nothing left here for him! There are no good memories!" Tyrant glared at them all, "Take him away from here. There's only pain!" He stormed out of the hangar.

Chen shook in Xiumin's arms. He wasn't looking for the truth of his parents' death. He didn't think there was anything to know. Why did Tyrant have to tell him the truth? He thought he found a new family and he included Tyrant in that family. He could've lived the rest of his life without knowing that truth and he would've been fine. Why was Tyrant so cruel?!

"Sssshhhh…" Xiumin soothed but his friend wouldn't stop shaking. He looked up at Lay, worried that Chen was going into emotional shock. Lay knelt in front of Chen and laid a hand on his head, closing his eyes he sent a soothing energy through his friend until Xiumin finally felt him relax in his arms. "Thank you, Lay."

Lay smiled sadly. It was all he could do. He couldn't undo the emotional damage both Generals have done to him, "We should get him back to the barracks."

Without a word, Chanyeol scooped Chen into his arms and started walking out of the hangar, leaving the others to follow him. He wanted to get Chen back to their room where he could feel safe again.

* * *

Suho walked with Xiumin and Lay, lagging a little behind the others, "What should we do?"

"I want to take him away from here. I don't want any more surprises like that one. There's only so much Chen can take." Xiumin's only thought was protecting Chen.

"It doesn't feel right to just leave the planet." Lay countered, "But I don't want Chen staying here either."

"We all need to think hard about this. We should do what we feel is right for us." Suho sighed, "Even if it means some of us leave and the others stay."

Baekhyun spun around at those words. He was listening to their conversation while keeping an eye on Chen. "We grew up together. None of us will be willing to leave the others behind. Either we stay or we go but whichever we choose, we do it together!"

"Baekhyun, we can't make anyone stay or leave. We need to do what we feel is right for ourselves." Suho wasn't going to force anyone to do anything. Not for something this big.

Baekhyun shook his head, disappointed, "I guess 'We are one' is just something we say. Stupid me. I thought we lived by it." He jogged to catch up with the others.

"Baekhyun's right. We're orphans. We grew up together. We need to do this together as well." Lay shook his head, "Why did the General give us this choice? I know he thought it was the right thing to do but does he have any idea what a difficult position he's put us in?"

"I think we should wait for Chen to wake up and then go from there."

* * *

Chen woke up an hour later but he didn't talk to anyone. He even took off the charm Baekhyun gave him and put it in his draw because he wanted to stay in the dark. Xiumin tried to get him to talk. He tried to get him to eat. Nothing worked. Chen shut them all out. The only thought going through his mind was the image of masked men barging into his home and killing his mum and dad. He watched his mother drop dead in front him, her eyes drained of life. He never saw the faces of the men but now he knew…one of them was Tyrant. The only faces he could picture was Takyun's and Tyrant's. He didn't want to think about it but the memories he'd lost for so long kept rushing through his mind. He bit his lip, stopping himself from crying out. He didn't want the others to worry about him anymore than they already were.

The team sat on their beds in silence. It was rare for their room to be silent. Baekhyun and Chanyeol rarely stopped talking. They were all thinking about Tyrant's offer. He was giving them a chance at a new life but nobody could bring themselves to abandon their home. "Try to get some rest, guys. We don't need to make a decision now."

"I'm not leaving anyone behind or letting anyone go alone." Baekhyun huffed before pulling the covers over his head.

Suho sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

Chen got up after he sensed everyone was asleep. As soon as he was out of the room, he started running. He didn't know where he was running, he just needed to run fast. He wanted to be so exhausted that he could no longer think about anything. When he finally stopped, two hours later he found himself standing at the gate of the prison yard. He sighed. Why was he here? He knew the answer. There were two monsters in his mind. Takyun was one of them. He needed to face the General. He needed to defeat one of those monsters. Chen walked up to the gate. "Do you have a pass, Sir?" The man at the gate asked him. Chen frowned, patting his pockets for his I.D card. He could tell by the guard's face that he wasn't expecting Chen to have such high clearance. He handed the card back, "Go straight through, Sir."

Chen knew where Takyun was kept. He spent over a decade there himself. He walked into the room. Takyun was lying on the bed on the other side of the glass. The man didn't look half as frightening as he used to. Takyun turned his head when he sensed someone watching him. An evil grin formed on his face, looking like the monster he was. Chen watched him open his mouth to say something to him but Chen couldn't hear him. He didn't press the comm for them to communicate. Chen walked up to the microphone and spoke into it. He couldn't hear Takyun but he knew Takyun could hear him. Chen pressed the button and opened his mouth, trying to formulate his words, "G…Good…bye." He said simply. Takyun's eyes burned with rage. Chen watched him throw himself at the glass. He could read the man's lips; _Don't you dare walk away from me! I made you! You belong to me!_ Chen shook his head. He belonged to no one. Xiumin and the others taught him that. He turned his back on the General and left the building feeling lighter.

* * *

Chen was surprised when he saw the entire team waiting outside for him. He tilted his head at them. Baekhyun walked up to him and pulled out the marble. Chen smiled at it. "Don't go anywhere without this. You'll worry me." Chen ducked his head, letting Baekhyun loop it over his head. He bumped his head against Baekhyun's chest. Baekhyun smirked at Chen's way of apologising. He ruffled the back of his head, "Apology accepted. Next time, get one of us to come with you." Chen lifted his head, nodding.

Suho walked up to him, "Did you see Takyun?" Chen nodded, "Are you okay?" Again, Chen nodded but this time gave him a small smile. Suho gave his shoulder a squeeze, "He's not as scary behind the glass, is he?" Chen shook his head. "It's almost morning. Let's go back." He wrapped his arm around Chen's shoulder and guided him to their jeeps they drove here.

Xiumin frowned at the way Chen was walking. He looked exhausted. Xiumin walked up to the other side of him. "Are you okay?" Chen pouted but nodded. "You're exhausted. What did you do?" He frowned when he realised something. "How did you get here?" Chen signed walking with his fingers. "You walked all the way from the barracks?" _More like ran,_ but Chen couldn't be bothered trying to sign that.

"He ran all the way from the barracks." Baekhyun busted Chen. "Do the calculations. You can't walk here from the barracks in two hours."

Xiumin shook his head at Chen as they reached the car. He opened the door and glared at him, "Never in my life have I ever worried so much. I am going to lose years off my life because of you." Chen climbed into the jeep and huffed at Xiumin, pouting. They realised Chen pouted a lot to express himself. It was really cute. "You can't blame anyone but yourself. Why would you run here?" Chen's frown deepened. He reached past Xiumin and pulled the door shut. Xiumin only just avoided getting his fingers caught. He turned to his friends in disbelief at Chen's attitude.

Suho chuckled, "Stop nagging him, Xiumin. He's already exhausted."

"That's his fault!"

"Don't be such a mum!" Baekhyun laughed, "Look at him." They looked through the window and found Chen sleeping. "He's like a little kid, falling asleep after a tantrum."

"Let's take him home." Xiumin rolled his eyes, amused.

* * *

Suho and his team spent the afternoon weighing up the pros and cons of staying and leaving. In the end it all came down to what was the honourable thing to do. Sehun thought leaving meant they were cowards. He didn't want the team to go down in history as cowards after everything they have fought for.

"But what history are we leaving? This planet won't exist. Our people won't exist. Who will know about us? The only other planet we've seen with life are lightyears away from developing intergalactic transport like ours." Baekhyun argued, "We are leaving behind nothing."

"We're leaving behind our home."

Chen listened to them debate. _Home._ He had a home but that was taken away when his parents died. Even if he were to go back there, it wouldn't be home. Home was wherever his family was and right now his family was here. If his family left here, then his home will be wherever they go. Chen leaned over and rested his head on Xiumin's shoulder. He didn't even know what a home was until he met the eight men in this room.

Xiumin smiled down at his friend, "What are you thinking, Chen?"

Chen lifted his head and looked at him innocently before he realised everyone was silent now. He felt self-conscious. He didn't like being the centre of attention. Chen's lips twisted as he thought about how to communicate to them what he was thinking. He pointed to all of them and then joined his fingertips together above his head, signing a roof. He waited, hoping one of them got the message. D.O smiled at him, "We're your home." Chen grinned, nodding his head. "To you, it doesn't matter if we leave or stay because you just want to be with us." Again, Chen nodded.

Xiumin smiled proudly at him, "For someone who didn't even know what family meant until a few weeks ago, you sure hit the nail on the head." Chen wrapped his arms around Xiumin and snuggled into him.

"This is a big decision." Suho told them, "Let's take a week to think about it, but Chen's right, whichever way we choose, we'll always be home."

* * *

 **One week later…**

Suho and the team were returning from the mess hall after having their dinner. Everybody stopped when they entered their room to find General Tyrant standing at the back. "Sir?" Suho walked up to him while Chen stepped back. Chen refused to see the man since he revealed the truth about the role he played in his parents' deaths. Xiumin stepped up to Chen, wrapping a supporting arm around him. He could already feel Chen shaking. "If you're here for an answer, I'm sorry but I don't have one for you."

"I'm not. I'm here to apologise. I understand what I told you was a big shock. I should've discussed it with you first." The General told them.

Xiumin glared at him, "Trying to send us off to Earth wasn't the only issue we had with you."

Tyrant nodded, sadly, "I know. I understand if you feel the need to ask for justice in this matter, Chen. I took part in your parents' murders."

Chen clenched his jaw as the man spoke of his parents. _Justice?_ How could he ask for justice in a world that's dying? His family was dead. Nothing can change that but if this was made public, the General's name would be dragged through the mud and the Elites would jump at the chance to take him down and put someone they choose in his place. Chen knew he couldn't be selfish. He shook his head at him and left the room. "Chen!" Xiumin gave the General one last glare before following Chen.

Baekhyun dropped into his bed, despite the General still being in the room. He was done with formalities. "I don't think you should visit again, General. If you need us, send a messenger."

"Baekhyun!" Lay admonished, despite agreeing with him.

"General, please excuse him. We're all tired." Suho apologised.

Tyrant waved away the apology, "I came by to give Chen this but I guess it's too soon for him." He held the package out to Suho, "Please pass it on." Suho took the package, nodding. He handed him an envelope as well. "I'm also here to tell you that you and your team have been honourably discharged from the military." Everyone jolted at that, "You've served our world to the best of your abilities. It's time for you to rest."

"General!" Suho hissed, angrily at him, "If this is your way of making us leave, you don't know us at all."

"It's not." The General sighed, "Negotiations are not going well. The Government is not giving in and the Rebels outside the dome and the citizens inside are ready to take action. It's happening all over the world. We are barely surviving as we are. An all-out war is going to shorten the planet's lifespan."

"Then you need us!" D.O growled.

"One covert team is not going to win us a war. This world is dying but our race does not need to." The General stepped up to Suho, "This is the military's last mission for you. Go to Earth. Survive. Keep us alive by living."

Suho shook his head, "There is no way the military sanctioned this mission."

"You're right but it was agreed upon by every soldier on our base. Your team has earned the respect of every soldier in this base. Heck, on almost every base. If our race is going to survive, we want you and your team to be the ones to do so." General Tyrant looked at each of them. "Don't let us down." With that he walked out of the room.

D.O shook his head, "This isn't real. That's not a real mission."

"It's our most important one to date." Suho countered. "I've never disobeyed an order before."

"He discharged us. We don't follow his orders anymore." Baekhyun reasoned.

Suho opened the envelope and read the discharge papers, "The date of our discharge is in two weeks from now. Our mission is one week from now. The General knew what he was doing."

"He can't seriously be doing this." Kai protested.

"He already did. These papers are real." Suho flicked through the pages.

Baekhyun shook his head, "This is so messed up."

* * *

Chen tried to get as far away from their barracks as he could. He ran out of the base and up the hill Suho talked about. He needed to see something worth staying on this planet for. He knew he wouldn't care where he was as long as he was with the team but he also knew this was their home. He couldn't make them leave. He needed to find a reason to stay because the longer he stayed here the more he felt like there was nothing worth staying for. His world has been ugly for so long now. He thought he finally found the beautiful side when he met these men but everything around him told him this planet was toxic. Chen reached the top of the hill. He wanted to see the sunset Suho told him about but he only saw a storm brewing. _Why?_ Chen shook his head; he was only looking for one reason to throw the General's offer back in his face. Why wasn't he allow even that?

Xiumin watched Chen as he stood angrily looking out at the storm. "Chen." He called. Chen turned to him, tears running down his cheeks. Xiumin sighed. He didn't want to see Chen cry again. This was supposed to be over. Why did life have to keep throwing rocks at him? Chen pointed at the clouds, silently asking where the sunset was? "Why did you come up here, Chen?" Chen stomped his feet in frustration and kept stabbing his finger at the horizon. "Did you want to see the sun set?" Chen nodded, his breath hitching. "Would seeing the sun set make you feel better?" Chen shrugged. He didn't know because he couldn't see it! "I know how much you hate this world right now. It hasn't been good to you." Xiumin walked up to him and pulled him into his arms. "If you want to leave here, I'll go with you." Chen pulled back, shaking his head. Xiumin smiled at him, "I'm not doing it just for you. I'm starting to think there's nothing left here for me either. The more I think about how you've been treated, the angrier I get. I go into the streets every day to keep the peace and all I see are angry and selfish people. We can fight all we want; this planet will die because there is nothing good left of its people. They're tired and angry and they want answers that the Government won't give them." Chen was worried now. He's never seen Xiumin like this. Xiumin was always positive and gentle. He squeezed Chen's shoulders, "Let's get away from here before it poisons us as well." Xiumin smiled at Chen's worried expression, "I promise, I'm not leaving anything behind unless the others decide they don't want to leave. Either way, I'm leaving with you." Chen shook his head. Xiumin sighed, "The others will understand." He nudged his head down the hill. "Let's go tell them and hear what they have to say." Chen nodded but he was determined to make sure Xiumin didn't leave his friends behind. He knew Xiumin was upset for him. He didn't want him to make a rash decision only to regret it years later. He didn't want Xiumin to resent him because the truth was, Xiumin was leaving the planet because of him.

* * *

The team sat on their beds and listened to Xiumin. They then revealed to Xiumin what the General told them. Chen looked around nervously, scared of what the team was going to decide. He didn't want to be the one to split them up. "Let's all say what we want. Stay or go." Suho told them. They all looked around nervously. "I'll go first…" He looked each of them in the eye, "Go." Everyone was shocked, "Xiumin's right. This world is no longer the world we've been fighting for. Heck, we were fighting for the wrong people in the first place. There's nothing left that is worth fighting for."

"Go." Lay agreed.

"Go." Baekhyun.

"Go." Chanyeol.

"Go." D.O. It was like a domino effect.

"Go." Kai.

Sehun looked around at his older brothers. Chen was right. Home is where these men were. "Go." The military let them go. He wasn't abandoning them.

Xiumin turned to Chen and smiled, "What did I say? We are ONE!" Chen was still concerned. Xiumin sighed, "It's our own choice. We're not doing this just for you."

"What are you talking about? We're doing it all for him." Baekhyun grinned cheekily at Chen who was frowning at him, "He's so cute, I'll follow him anywhere." Chen couldn't help the tug at the corner of his lip. Baekhun smiled at him, affectionately, "The truth is, this is partly for you but this is something we want to do as well. The General's right. We said it before, there is no history to leave behind if every single person on this planet dies. At least we can keep it alive by living."

Xiumin hugged Chen from behind, "You hear that, Chennie Chennie! We're all in agreement. This is what we all want."

"We've done all we can on this world," Suho wrapped his arms around Kai and Sehun's shoulders, "We can do more on Earth."

* * *

 **The Eve…**

Chen sat on his bed, holding a package in his hand. Suho gave it to him before going to bed. "It's your choice if you want to open it." He told him. Chen held it in his hands for a little longer before tucking it under his pillow. He didn't want anything from the General.

* * *

 **Launch day…**

The departure of Suho and his team was kept quiet. It was late at night and the only men who attended were the ones Tyrant trusted. They stood in a line and saluted the men who will keep their world alive. Suho had tears in his eyes. This world may not have anything worth fighting for but it was their home. He saluted the General and his men. The team followed. "Safe flight, Captain." Tyrant shook his hand. He walked down the line and shook each member's hand. When he reached Chen, he saw the boy tense up. Tyrant wished Chen didn't leave like this. He wanted to give the boy something to hold on to but it was clear Chen hadn't opened the package. "Take care of yourself, Chen." Chen nodded stiffly.

* * *

Lay readied the ship. He checked all pre-launch procedure before starting the engine. Chen sat in his seat. He held the brown package in his hand. Xiumin saw it and reached over, placing a gentle hand on Chen's arm, "Open it." Chen sighed and nodded. He tore open the brown paper. Inside was a photo album. He turned the cover and gasped. The first picture was his mother and father's wedding photo. As he turned, he realised this was a family album. There were pictures of himself and his parents celebrating birthdays and special occasions. _How did the General get this?_ Chen felt the engine hum.

"No!" Chen pulled off his harness and ran to the back of the ship, opening the door.

Xiumin followed him. He watched Chen run after the General who had turned his back to leave. "General!" Xiumin called for Chen. The General turned around, shocked to see Chen running towards him. He was even more shocked when Chen threw his arms around him, hugging him tight. Tyrant smiled as he hugged Chen back, as tight as he could.

"I take it you opened the package." Tyrant felt Chen nod against his shoulder, "I grabbed it that day because I knew Takyun would destroy any trace of your family. I'm sorry, Chen. I'm so sorry." Chen shook his head and pulled back. He placed a hand on Tyrant's chest.

"T…thank you."

Tyrant wiped away Chen's tears, "Go and be happy. It's the only thing I can do to make up for what I've done." Chen sniffed as he nodded. "Good. Now go."

Chen took a step back and gave one last salute before running back to the ship. Xiumin smiled at the man returning. It was like Chen was a brand new person, full of life. "Let's go."

* * *

Lay put the ship into auto-pilot as soon as they left orbit and joined everyone at the viewing window. The view of EXO was more beautiful from up here but they knew it had lost its beauty. There were more deserts than ocean. No snow-capped mountains, no greenery. Tyrant was right. Their world may still exist but there was no life.

Chen wasn't looking at the view. He was looking at his family. The only memories he needed were of his parents and the time in the Rebel base, playing with fairy lights, chasing fireball, splashing droplets and drifting snowflakes. In his hand, he was holding the memory of his family and on this ship were his brothers. There was only one person on the planet that he will miss but he didn't need to look at the world to know he was still down there. He will always remember Tyrant each time he used his powers. Tyrant taught him to protect his friend. Tyrant taught him, he wasn't just a weapon. And so, Chen stood by his brothers. He never felt more at home than he did right then.

Xiumin wiped away his tears and turned to Chen. He smiled at the worried expression he saw there. "These are not tears of regret. I'm sad we're leaving because it's been my home my entire life but I'm leaving with my brothers, so I will never have any regrets."

Suho took in a deep breath and let it out. All their eyes were wet, but just like Xiumin, there were no regrets. "Alright, it will take up two weeks to get to Earth. We're taking longer than usual because we're reserving fuel. We still want a functioning ship when we get there. The General has given us enough resources to replicate Earth's currency. We should use this time to decide which country we want to live in because once we land, this ship will go into stasis mode and stay that way."

Baekhyun grinned, "Time for some research!"

"Which country did we visit last time?" Sehun asked.

"Japan, U.S.A and that one with the massive red rock in the middle of it." Chanyeol listed.

"Oh, I'm not going back there, it's not much different from EXO!" Kai complained of the Australian Outback.

"Yep, that one's a strange one. Majority of their population live in the coastal area. There is massive land are but it's barely used." D.O found it very interesting.

"Japan's really nice. U.S.A was…" Baekhyun thought about that, "Too busy and too…I don't know." They had visited New York in the middle of the week. Everyone was focused on where they needed to be. The city was too big. "I don't think we should go there."

Chen concentrated on his computer screen, randomly flicking through pictures of people from different countries on Earth. This could take forever. He could feel his eyes drooping when a picture of some strangely dressed men came up. Leaning forward Chen clicked on the picture. Suddenly, music boomed through the ship. He jumped out of his seat and tapped at the keyboard, frantically trying to turn it off.

The team spun around, shocked at the sound but found Chen's panic more amusing. Baekhyun got out of his seat and turned down the volume. Chen looked at him, huffing. "I take it the General never let you listen to music." Chen shook his head. Now that the volume was turned down, he listened more carefully to the song. His head started bobbing to the beat.

Xiumin sat back and enjoyed watching Chen listen to his first song. He'd never heard it himself but watching Chen react to it was fun. Chen sat back down in his seat to watch the men on the screen. Xiumin wanted to laugh when Chen tried to mimmick their moves but he didn't want Chen to get self-conscious. This was the real Chen they were seeing. A curious boy.

Kai was watching from behind and found the dancing interesting too. He followed the moves. Sehun got up when he saw how good Kai looked when he danced. He watched Kai's moves and soon both boys were dancing in unison with the clip. "Waa! You boys picked that up quickly." Chanyeol tried but looked and felt clumsy. Chen turned in his seat, his eyes wide at how good the two youngest were. He jumped from his seat and pulled at Kai's arms, pointing to himself at the same time.

"You want me to teach you?" Kai asked. Chen nodded, excitedly. "Um…" Kai scratched his head, "I only just learned but I'll try." The teamed enjoyed the show and soon they were all joining in. It turned out, Lay and Minseok were also naturals at it.

After tiring themselves out with dancing, they sat down and went back to searching for suitable countries. Chen on the other hand, put on headphones and continued researching about the songs he was listening to. According to the Earth's internet, it was a global phenomenon called K-Pop, originating from a country called Korea. The band was Super Junior. He looked up other songs by them and found he had a liking for their ballads. It led to more research and found a song he really liked called, 'To Heaven'. Chen leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He didn't know he was humming to the song.

Xiumin slowly turned from his seat at the sweet sound coming across from him. He looked over at Suho, smiling. Everyone stopped what they were doing and just listened to Chen's humming. It was clear Chen really liked it because he had it on repeat. Xiumin's eyes widened when Chen started singing words he didn't understand. The words came out smoothly and beautifully. Chanyeol smiled. "Music transcends worlds, it seems."

"I think we found the country we want to live in." D.O smiled, contently.

"We have." Suho agreed when he saw everyone nodding.

Chen continued singing oblivious to the fact that everyone was listening to him.

 **The End**

 **Stay tuned for the sequel!**


End file.
